Officials have begun disembarking the 490 suspected asylum seekers from the Tamil vessel docked at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, CBC reports. Black umbrellas are being used to shield the passengers’ identities.
Many children have been spotted on deck, some of them peeking out from beneath black tarps.
After a three-month journey, shrouded in as much secrecy as controversy, the MV Sun Sea approached the navy base just after 6:10 a.m. PT Friday. At least a dozen armed Canadian officers were visible onboard.
Paramedics, some wearing surgical masks, boarded the vessel and seemed to be moving with a sense of urgency in and out of the control room on the main level.
As of 9:15 am P.T., no dead bodies had been found on the ship, according to a Navy source. Sources confirmed there is a transition stage in process, as the role of the RCMP and the Navy is faded out and officers from Canada Border Service Agency take the lead.
Many of the RCMP's tactical unit members that arrived Wednesday night are leaving the base and more CBSA officers are arriving.
Several Mounties were seen on the rear of the ship’s deck while others inspected the front. Security has drastically lessened since the vessel’s arrival.
Tarps were erected along the fence where the migrants will walk past as they are taken off the boat, but photographers took pictures of some of the passengers. At least five buses and one ambulance were waiting on the base. The Globe and Mail
