A horrible accident happened as people die in a boat fire
At least 8 individuals died and 26 others went missing after a fire broke out on a 75-foot commercial diving ship off the shore of Southern California early on Monday.
Santa Barbara authorities subsequently verified that “they obtained extra victims” but did not provide any further information.
Many of the divers on board the ship, recognized as the Conception, were believed to be sleeping under boards when the fire broke out.
At about 3:30 a.m., U.S. Coast Guard authorities heard a Mayday call from Conception, which he moored 20 yards off the southern coast of Santa Cruz Island. “I can’t speak,” said the caller.
the authorities removed four bodies from the water on Monday, and they found four more on the sea floor, authorities said.
“This is likely the worst situation you could potentially have,” said Bill Brown, Sheriff of Santa Barbara County, at a press conference on Monday evening.
“The four people we’ve retrieved as of now will have to be recognized through DNA, and that may take some time,” Brown added.
Divers will continue to search throughout the evening, U.S. Coast Guard Los Angeles-Long Beach Sector Commander Monica Rochester informed the press conference. But hopes of discovering any survivors seem dim.
“We should all be ready to proceed towards the worst result,” Rochester said.
Search campaigns are on
Five crew members, who were asleep when the fire began, managed to jump off the ship and were saved by a pleasure boat, the Grape Escape. One of them endured minor wounds.
The crews from the Santa Barbara and Ventura County fire departments were still battling the flames as the ship sank in 64 feet of water around 7:20 a.m.
Truth Aquatic ran a conception by s, which operates a tiny ship from Santa Barbara Harbor, bringing divers to the Channel Islands National Park. The Conception left for the Channel Islands on Saturday and was due to return on Tuesday morning.
Santa Cruz Island is about 20 miles off the shore of Santa Barbara and the biggest of the eight Channel Islands. The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service mostly operate and develop it.
At its last annual inspection, the vessel had no breach of safety. “The ship was in complete accordance,” Rochester said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom conveyed his condolences to the victims’ relatives in a Twitter message.
“Our hearts are with the families and loved ones affected by this tragic incident,” he said. “As we wait to hear more, we are forever grateful to our heroic first responders are on the spot — work to ensure that they find every individual.”
Source: BuzzFeed
