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| Santa Cruz Island boat fire: 25 bodies found after blaze off California coast | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| A boat fire in southern California has left 25 people dead and at least nine people missing after the vessel was engulfed in flames and sank in the dark of early Monday morning. | |
| The US coast guard said five crew members escaped from the 75-foot commercial scuba diving boat Conception. On Monday night Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Kroll said authorities had recovered 20 bodies and discovered five more. Those five could not be recovered due to unsafe conditions under the boat. | |
| Kroll said authorities would continue to search overnight for the nine remaining people. | |
| When the fire broke out the boat was docked near Santa Cruz Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. | |
| The Los Angeles coast guard sector responded to a mayday call at approximately 3.15am local time, when it was dark and later misty, reporting simply that a vessel was engulfed in flames. “This is probably the worst case scenario you could possibly have,” said Bill Brown, Santa Barbara county sheriff, noting that the passengers were likely all asleep at the time. “We understand the tremendous burden that [families] are under as they wait to determine exactly what happened and what condition ... their loved ones are in.” | |
| Monica Rochester, an official with the Coast Guard in Los Angeles, said: “We will search all the way through the night and into the morning … We all should be prepared to move into the worst outcome.” | Monica Rochester, an official with the Coast Guard in Los Angeles, said: “We will search all the way through the night and into the morning … We all should be prepared to move into the worst outcome.” |
| The US congresswoman Julia Brownley, who represents the area, was on the scene and met with authorities, who were working to locate missing people and had sent out helicopters. “What’s happening here is just about deployment and search and rescue,” she said. “They have a mission.” Referring to last year’s deadly wildfires, she said: “Sadly we’ve been through two major California fires ... [but] never had this particular kind of emergency.” | The US congresswoman Julia Brownley, who represents the area, was on the scene and met with authorities, who were working to locate missing people and had sent out helicopters. “What’s happening here is just about deployment and search and rescue,” she said. “They have a mission.” Referring to last year’s deadly wildfires, she said: “Sadly we’ve been through two major California fires ... [but] never had this particular kind of emergency.” |
| Audio of a frantic mayday call captured someone on board shouting, “I can’t breathe,” before the call was cut off. | Audio of a frantic mayday call captured someone on board shouting, “I can’t breathe,” before the call was cut off. |
| A nearby “good Samaritan” pleasure craft evacuated the crew members who were able to escape the ship. | A nearby “good Samaritan” pleasure craft evacuated the crew members who were able to escape the ship. |
| The passengers reported missing were below deck and sleeping when the fire started, US coast guard official Monica Rochester said at a press briefing, as a search and rescue mission was still in full flow on Monday. The five crew members were on the bridge of the vessel, awake at the time flames were spotted, and were able to jump off the boat in time. | The passengers reported missing were below deck and sleeping when the fire started, US coast guard official Monica Rochester said at a press briefing, as a search and rescue mission was still in full flow on Monday. The five crew members were on the bridge of the vessel, awake at the time flames were spotted, and were able to jump off the boat in time. |
| While firefighters tamed the blaze, the vessel sank 20 yards off the shore in more than 50ft of water, the coast guard said. | While firefighters tamed the blaze, the vessel sank 20 yards off the shore in more than 50ft of water, the coast guard said. |
| By Monday afternoon the vessel had just a portion of its bow sticking out of the water. Rochester said the US coast guard was still in a response phase and conducting shoreline searches for survivors. | By Monday afternoon the vessel had just a portion of its bow sticking out of the water. Rochester said the US coast guard was still in a response phase and conducting shoreline searches for survivors. |
| The four bodies recovered were identified as two adult males and two adult females, but authorities said they would need to do DNA tests to identify them. Officials had no other details to share about the missing people, saying the passengers came from across southern California and likely farther. | The four bodies recovered were identified as two adult males and two adult females, but authorities said they would need to do DNA tests to identify them. Officials had no other details to share about the missing people, saying the passengers came from across southern California and likely farther. |
| The Ventura county fire department released dramatic pictures on Twitter on Monday morning, showing the ship engulfed in smoke and bright orange flames in the early morning darkness. | The Ventura county fire department released dramatic pictures on Twitter on Monday morning, showing the ship engulfed in smoke and bright orange flames in the early morning darkness. |
| #CoastInc: @VCFD responded to boat fire off the north side of Santa Cruz Island at approximately 3:28am. @USCG helping support rescue operations for people aboard a dive boat. #ChannelIslands @USCGLosAngeles @CountyVentura @SBCOUNTYFIRE pic.twitter.com/DwoPGfBjtA | #CoastInc: @VCFD responded to boat fire off the north side of Santa Cruz Island at approximately 3:28am. @USCG helping support rescue operations for people aboard a dive boat. #ChannelIslands @USCGLosAngeles @CountyVentura @SBCOUNTYFIRE pic.twitter.com/DwoPGfBjtA |
| Coast guard senior official Aaron Bemis told CNN that the fire kept resisting being extinguished, appearing to die out and then bursting back into flames, possibly because of the amount of fuel on the ship. He said that it kept “being put out and re-flashing”. | Coast guard senior official Aaron Bemis told CNN that the fire kept resisting being extinguished, appearing to die out and then bursting back into flames, possibly because of the amount of fuel on the ship. He said that it kept “being put out and re-flashing”. |
| “The report that we got is that they were trapped by the fire,” Bemis told CNN of the missing passengers. “The fire was so intense that even after it was put out, we were not able to actually embark the vessel and look for survivors at [that] point.” | “The report that we got is that they were trapped by the fire,” Bemis told CNN of the missing passengers. “The fire was so intense that even after it was put out, we were not able to actually embark the vessel and look for survivors at [that] point.” |
| The vessel was named Conception, a diving tour boat. The boat is owned by a company called Truth Aquatics, a local boat rental service that offers diving tours off southern California. | The vessel was named Conception, a diving tour boat. The boat is owned by a company called Truth Aquatics, a local boat rental service that offers diving tours off southern California. |
| The boat was being used for a three-day diving tour of islands, including Santa Cruz Island, just off the coast of Santa Barbara, according to Truth Aquatics website. Passengers boarded the boat at Santa Barbara Harbor Friday night, and the vessel was set to return to Santa Barbara late on Monday afternoon. | The boat was being used for a three-day diving tour of islands, including Santa Cruz Island, just off the coast of Santa Barbara, according to Truth Aquatics website. Passengers boarded the boat at Santa Barbara Harbor Friday night, and the vessel was set to return to Santa Barbara late on Monday afternoon. |
| California Diving, a local diving publication, described the boat as “California’s crown jewel of live-aboard dive boats” when it was built in 1981. | California Diving, a local diving publication, described the boat as “California’s crown jewel of live-aboard dive boats” when it was built in 1981. |
| Rochester said the boat was in “full compliance” with regulations. | Rochester said the boat was in “full compliance” with regulations. |
| The US coast guard was “working deliberately with the vessel owner/operator, who is with us at the time working on a plan to conduct further assistance for his vessel,” she said. | The US coast guard was “working deliberately with the vessel owner/operator, who is with us at the time working on a plan to conduct further assistance for his vessel,” she said. |
| Authorities set up a family assistance point at an event center in Santa Barbara, north of the Channel Islands. Officials there said they did not have much information that they could share, but were there to provide support in any way they could. | Authorities set up a family assistance point at an event center in Santa Barbara, north of the Channel Islands. Officials there said they did not have much information that they could share, but were there to provide support in any way they could. |
| “People are coming in wanting information,” said Suzanne Grimmesey, an official with the Santa Barbara department of behavioral wellness. “There are a lot of unknowns across the board. | “People are coming in wanting information,” said Suzanne Grimmesey, an official with the Santa Barbara department of behavioral wellness. “There are a lot of unknowns across the board. |
| “We are hoping to help them cope with what they are experiencing. We have clergy, we have chaplains, we have Red Cross, we have hospice care.” | “We are hoping to help them cope with what they are experiencing. We have clergy, we have chaplains, we have Red Cross, we have hospice care.” |
| The Associated Press contributed to this report. | The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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