Vancouver, British Columbia ? A ferry carrying 101 people along a scenic route near Vancouver Island hit a rock and sank early Wednesday, but the passengers and crew all escaped with only minor injuries, authorities said.

The passengers and crew boarded life boats and were picked up by a Canadian icebreaker, said a rescue agency spokeswoman, Capt. Leah Byrne. Local fishermen also turned out to help.

“From what we hear, it took about an hour for the ship to sink,” Byrne said.

The 409-foot Queen of the North hit the rock off the Queen Charlotte Islands about 85 miles south of the southern tip of Alaska. The ferry, built in 1969 and refitted in 2001, can carry up to 700 people and 115 vehicles and operates year-round on a 280-mile route between Prince Rupert and Port Hardy at the northern end of Vancouver Island.

The entire village of Hartley Bay, with about 200 residents, pitched in when the distress call came, including fishermen who rushed out to help evacuate the sinking ship. The community center was used as a shelter for the passengers and crew.