20 dead after California boat mishap
Santa Barbara County Sheriff has discovered 20 bodies after a 75-foot commercial diving boat excursion caught fire in Southern California.
A spokesperson of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff, Bill Brown said on Monday that ‘’four bodies had been recovered and had yet to be identified and four other victims were spotted at the bottom of the ocean in close proximity to the boat, named the Conception,’’ he said.
According to Coast Guard Captain, Monica Rochester, said the dive-boat which caught fire on a Labor Day, had a total of 39 people on board, comprising 33 passengers and six crew members, adding that twenty-six people are missing.
Brown sympathized with the families of the deceased, saying, ‘’our hearts go out to the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy.”
“We all should be prepared to move into the worst outcome,” she added.
Rochester also said that good Samaritans were able to save five crew members, who were awake in the main cabin and jumped off the fully engulfed boat.
Another Coast Guard, Aaron Bemis told CNN that the passengers were below deck in the berthing area that’s primarily used for sleeping.
Bemis added that “The fire was so intense that even after it was put out, we’re not able to actually embark the vessel and look for survivors at this point.
