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| California boat fire: Four bodies recovered off Santa Cruz Island | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| Four bodies have been recovered and four more spotted on the ocean floor after a boat was destroyed by fire off the coast of California, US authorities said. | |
| Five crew of the commercial diving boat Conception escaped the blaze. | |
| The fire started in the early hours of Monday. The boat was anchored just metres off Santa Cruz Island, about 90 miles (145km) west of Los Angeles. | |
| The vessel is now submerged as a search and rescue operation continues. | |
| At a press conference, Sheriff Bill Brown said 39 people were on board the vessel when fire broke out. | |
| The cause of the blaze is so far unknown. | |
| Four bodies have been recovered so far - two male and two female adults - and four more have been spotted on the sea floor, he said. | |
| "The boat remains unstable and we are not sure when we will be able to recover those bodies [on the sea bed] and any more that may be in the vessel," he said. | |
| What happened on the ship? | |
| Coastguard services overheard a mayday call at 03:30 local time (10:30 GMT), saying that the boat was engulfed in flames, according to Capt Monica Rochester, the coastguard sector commander for Los Angeles/Long Beach. | Coastguard services overheard a mayday call at 03:30 local time (10:30 GMT), saying that the boat was engulfed in flames, according to Capt Monica Rochester, the coastguard sector commander for Los Angeles/Long Beach. |
| Reports say some passengers may have been trapped below deck. | Reports say some passengers may have been trapped below deck. |
| Those who escaped the fire may have been sleeping in the main cabin of the boat rather than below. | |
| They were awake and had jumped off the boat's bridge before a Good Samaritan vessel called The Grape Escape arrived to rescue them. One survivor has minor injuries. | They were awake and had jumped off the boat's bridge before a Good Samaritan vessel called The Grape Escape arrived to rescue them. One survivor has minor injuries. |
| Sheriff Brown speculated that oxygen or propane tanks could have exploded during the fire, but there was no sign this sparked the blaze. | |
| "Nothing in the [mayday] broadcast from the vessel... indicated there was an initial explosion," he said. | |
| What about those who are missing? | |
| Capt Rochester said the boat was "fully in compliance" with safety regulations, and had no prior violations. | |
| She said the search efforts would continue into Tuesday morning, but that "we should all be prepared [for] the worst outcome". | |
| Sheriff Brown said the fire was "probably the worst case scenario you could possibly have" on a vessel, as it was in open water at night with most people asleep below decks. | |
| "Fire is the scourge of any ship," he said. "Of all scenarios... you couldn't ask for a worse situation." | |
| What's the ship like? | |
| The bow of Conception is still sticking out of the water. | The bow of Conception is still sticking out of the water. |
| It sank 20 yards (18m) off the north shore of Santa Cruz Island, at the depth of 64ft (20m). | It sank 20 yards (18m) off the north shore of Santa Cruz Island, at the depth of 64ft (20m). |
| Run by a diving company called Truth Aquatics, which has a 4.5 rating on Trip Advisor, Conception was used for chartered trips in the Channel Islands National Park. | Run by a diving company called Truth Aquatics, which has a 4.5 rating on Trip Advisor, Conception was used for chartered trips in the Channel Islands National Park. |
| It was on the final day of a three day scuba diving excursion for the Labor Day weekend. | It was on the final day of a three day scuba diving excursion for the Labor Day weekend. |
| The boat's layout shows three rows of double bunks with a shower room at the front of the boat. | The boat's layout shows three rows of double bunks with a shower room at the front of the boat. |
| "Pillows, blankets, reading lights, privacy curtain and personal storage are provided," the company's website says. | "Pillows, blankets, reading lights, privacy curtain and personal storage are provided," the company's website says. |