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Emergency crews search waters near Belleisle Bay Ferry in N.B. after reports of vehicle driving off

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LONG POINT, N.B. -- Emergency crews are currently searching the waters near the Belleisle Bay Ferry in Long Point, N.B. after a vehicle is reported to have driven off the ferry early Sunday morning.

According to Hampton Fire & Rescue, a pick-up truck drove off the end of the ferry around 2 a.m. Sunday.

RCMP say they believe there were two people in the vehicle. They have not been identified at this time.

"About two o'clock this morning we received a call for assistance with our boat for a vehicle that went in the water, and they've been here ever since with the Coast Guard and RCMP doing searches, but nothing has come up yet," said Hampton Fire & Rescue chief Roger Breau on Sunday afternoon.

The Belleisle Bay Ferry is a 15-car vessel that runs year-round between Route 124 and 850 in New Brunswick. It is a one kilometre route, and takes about seven minutes to travel by ferry across the bay.

Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Lieutenant-Commander Brian Owens tells CTV News that the vessel was nearing the mid-point of the trip when the vehicle went off the ferry.

The JRCC immediately dispatched a Cormorant helicopter along with a fast-rescue craft, but were not able to find anything.

The RCMP's 'J-Divison' underwater recovery team arrived on the scene at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

"They're a resource that we would use in a case like this, where we believe the vehicle has been submerged in the bay," says New Brunswick RCMP Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh. "They have specialized skills to be able to go in the water and recover the truck and occupants if they are still in the vehicle.

RCMP, N.B. Department of Transportation, Hampton Fire & Rescue, and the JRCC all responded to the scene.