Logo

Logo

25 killed in deadly boat fire in California, 26 missing

Five members of the Conception’s six-man crew, who were on deck when the flames broke out, jumped into the water and reached safely on another boat, the Grape Escape.

25 killed in deadly boat fire in California, 26 missing

A firefighter works at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Channel Islands in Oxnard, California, the United States, on Sept. 2, 2019 (Photo: IANS)

At least 25 people were killed and many reported missing after a commercial diving boat caught fire and capsized in the US state of California on Monday, according to authorities.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said, “Four bodies have been recovered thus far as deceased, they have been transported to our coroner’s bureau”.

“Rescue and recovery efforts on the scene have located an additional four victims on the ocean floor in close proximity to the vessel”, he further said.

Advertisement

The Coast Guard had said earlier that the crew of the Conception issued a mayday call at around 3.30 am to which emergency teams from the Coast Guard, Santa Barbara Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department and Vessel Assist responded.

Five members of the Conception’s six-man crew, who were on deck when the flames broke out, jumped into the water and reached safely on another boat, the Grape Escape.

It wasn’t clear when the bodies on the ocean floor might be retrieved or when divers could search the boat for others.

“It’s upside down in relatively shallow water with receding tides that are moving it around,” Brown said.

“Right now they’re conducting shoreline searches for any available survivors,” she said.

“The crew was actually already awake and on the bridge and they jumped off”, she added.

The Conception sailed on Saturday from Santa Barbara and was scheduled to return on Monday evening, according to the company that owns and operates the boat, Truth Aquatics.

The Truth Aquatics website said that the Conception entered service in 1981.

The boat is equipped with sufficient life-jackets and rafts for 110 passengers, according to the website.

Advertisement