A Tamil man died while travelling aboard the MV Sun Sea cargo ship, only a few weeks before he was due to reach Canada, police say.
"What investigators have passed along to us is that a 37-year-old man did die about three weeks ago while the MV Sun Sea was in international waters," RCMP Const. Mike McLaughlin told The Canadian Press.
"Their investigation has determined he died of a sickness; he simply couldn't be treated at sea. There's nothing to indicate any criminal intent."
CTV's Janet Dirks said the man died on July 28.
"He was buried at sea, he was the father of a child, he had a wife -- they remain in Sri Lanka," Dirks said.
New details are also emerging about the horrid living conditions on the ship. According to sources, several hundred people had to share one toilet, and fresh water was limited to one litre per week for each migrant.
Manjula Selvarajah of the Canadian Tamil Congress said lawyers who have spoken to some of the migrants on board the MV Sun Sea heard the details about the man who died.
"He is married with children, however his wife and child were not on the boat with him," she told CTV News Channel on Sunday afternoon. "But obviously because of how cramped the conditions were, they decided to bury him at sea."
Dirks said it is not clear why authorities did not mention the man's death when briefing reporters about the condition of the passengers on Saturday.
"They may not be aware, they may not be aware at all," said Dirks.
Of the surviving passengers, Canadian authorities have said they are "pretty good" and that those taken to hospital have not been treated for any critical illnesses.
"They were maintaining that people were doing pretty well and their spirits were high," said Dirks.
"They were relieved to be in Canada, that there was even laughter on the boat, so it didn't seem like it was a terrible situation in terms of what they had discovered."
The ship was equipped with a waste disposal system, Dirks said.
Dirks said that at least one elderly couple -- both 70-years old -- is confirmed to have travelled to Canada on board the MV Sun Sea, a detail that was previously unknown.
"We had seen photographs or images of young children, a baby, toddlers, but never older people. So now we know there is an elderly couple on board the ship and they survived," she said.
The nearly 500 migrants who landed in B.C. at the start of the weekend are being moved to holding facilities in Vancouver.
The first immigration hearings for the migrants could start as soon as Monday.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has warned that the ship is part of a smuggling operation that is linked to the Tamil Tigers, a terror organization that is banned in Sri Lanka.
On Sunday, Toews released a statement saying that the RCMP would answer questions relating to the death.
Selvarajah said that human smugglers definitely prey on Tamil people who are living in "precarious situations," who are desperate to escape Sri Lanka.
With files from The Canadian Press
