LOS ANGELES _ In the hours after the Conception caught fire, officials expressed hope they might find some of the missing alive.
They searched the waters off the Channel Islands as well as the shore of Santa Cruz Island, hoping some may have been able to swim there.
But it became clear through the day those hopes were fading. Rescuers found only bodies.
Lee Waldron, operations division chief of the Santa Barbara city fire department, said Monday night some of the bodies were found within the ship and others were recovered outside it.
Divers from the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles county sheriff's departments "knew they were not going to find live victims," Waldron said.
"They're obviously very difficult conditions, both physically and psychologically," he said.
The bodies were brought to shore late Monday in the Ocean Ranger, a parks service vessel, and hoisted onto the Santa Barbara City Wharf, where three coroner's vans were waiting.
At least 15 people were confirmed dead, and others were still missing early Tuesday, authorities said. The Associated Press reported that at least 25 people had been confirmed dead, but that number could not immediately be verified by officials.
Additional bodies were recovered from the wreckage overnight, but updated numbers were not available early Tuesday, said Amber Anderson, a spokesperson for the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
"It's Labor Day weekend _ it was supposed to be a great time for these folks," Waldron said. "I'm sure they were out there enjoying their time among those beautiful islands. ... Hold tight to your loved ones."
Five people survived _ the crew members, who had been awake and jumped overboard. Officials expressed little hope of finding anyone else alive.
