Four bodies pulled from water and dozens more feared dead after dive boat explodes in flames
The bodies of four people have been recovered while dozens more are feared dead after a raging fire swept through a dive-boat overnight off the Southern California coast.
Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Matthew Kroll said the four bodies had injuries consistent with drowning.
Searchers continued to look for more than two dozen other people who were aboard the boat off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, about 100km west of Los Angeles, when it burst into flames at about 3am on Monday morning (local time).
The Coast Guard said the vessel was believed to have carried 39 people, including five crew members who jumped off soon after the fire ignited before dawn.
"The crew was actually already awake and on the bridge and they jumped off," Rochester said.
Two suffered minor injuries, Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney said.
One was pictured being wheeled into an ambulance on a stretcher.
Rochester said the other 34 had been sleeping below deck when the fire began and it is feared many were unable to escape the vessel.
Distressing radio calls for help
A distressing radio call to the Coast Guard from the boat as the fire began has emerged.
Parts of the radio call are inaudible but the man can be heard saying: “Mayday mayday!.. I can’t breathe!”
In audio from Broadcastify, an LA Coast Guard dispatcher can be heard questioning a crew member if they can return to the vessel, CNN reported.
“Can you get back onboard and unlock the boat?" the dispatcher asked.
They then ask if there is an "escape hatch for any of the people onboard”.
The crew member’s responses are inaudible as the dispatcher asks: “You don’t have any firefighting gear at all? No fire extinguishers or anything?”
BREAKING NEWS: The Coast Guard has launched multiple rescue assets along with assets from local agencies to assist more than 30 people in distress on a 75ft boat near Santa Cruz Island. More details will be available later as this operation continues.
— USCG Los Angeles (@USCGLosAngeles) September 2, 2019
Authorities said the crew members who jumped from the boat were rescued by a good Samaritan vessel called The Grape Escape.
Asked if the crew tried to help others aboard, Rochester said: "I don't have any additional information”.
Relatives await news of any survivors
A woman who came to the harbour said: "My son was on that boat”.
She was led away by a Ventura County firefighter.
James Kohl was also pictured waiting at the gate of the Ventura County Coast Guard station for news of his brother Mike Kohl, age 58, who was a cook on the dive boat.
Rochester said the 20-metre commercial scuba diving vessel was anchored in Platt Harbor, about 18 metres off the northern coast of Santa Cruz Island, when the fire ignited around 3am.
She said the vessel sank in 64 feet of water, adding its bow is still visible above the waterline.
The Conception was on the final day of a Labor Day weekend cruise to the Channel Islands when the fire erupted.
"At 3.15 this morning the Coast Guard overheard a mayday call. The call was garbled, it was not that clear, but we were able to get some information out of it to send vessels on scene," Barney said.
Rochester said that call indicated the boat was already fully ablaze.
The Conception was chartered by Worldwide Diving Adventures, which says on its website that it has been taking divers on such expeditions since the 1970s. It was owned and operated by Truth Aquatics, a Santa Barbara-based company founded in 1974.
Asked if the boat operator has a history of any violations, Rochester said: "The vessel has been in full compliance”.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is sending a team to investigate.
The Conception had departed at 4am Saturday with plans to return at 5pm on Monday.
Divers sleep in a single room of bunk beds, according to a diagram of the Conception posted on Truth Aquatics' website.
The website says the vessel, launched in 1981, has rafts and life jackets for up to 110 passengers and exits on the port, starboard and bow that provide "easy water entry”.
The trip promised multiple opportunities to see colourful coral and a variety of marine life around the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California.
With AP
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