3 victims identified after fishing boat sinks near Quebec's Lower North Shore

Quebec provincial police have identified the three people who died after a fishing vessel capsized and sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Quebec's Lower North Shore.

Dean Lavallée, 53, Yves Jones, 65, and Damon Etheridge, 36, were all from Blanc-Sablon, Que. 

The three men were among six people aboard the 18-metre-long Silver Condor sailing near La Tabatière, Que., early Monday morning.

A distress signal was received around 2:30 a.m. ET. Two Canadian Coast Guard vessels and an Armed Forces Cormorant helicopter were dispatched to the scene.

The ship went down about 37 kilometres offshore, according to the Coast Guard.

Three other passengers, two men and a woman, were also plucked from the water. Five were airlifted to hospital in Corner Brook, N.L., and one person was taken by a coast guard vessel to Port-aux-Choix, N.L.

The investigation so far indicates poor weather conditions played a role, the Sûreté du Québec said Tuesday.

A social worker has visited Blanc-Sablon schools to offer support to kids, said Pascal Paradis, a spokesperson for the the local health and social services authority, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de la Côte-Nord.

The tragedy is felt especially hard in such a small community, said Blanc-Sablon Mayor Andrew Etheridge.

Those who feel distressed by the incident can call 811 and press option 2 for psychosocial support. There is also support offered at the CISSS's multiservice centre, through its Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) and Info-Social. 

"If needed, more resources could be added to support both the public and personnel," said Paradis.