At least 25 people are dead and 9 others are missing after a pre-dawn fire swept through a commercial diving boat off the coast of Southern California Monday, AP reports.
The latest: Authorities have found 25 bodies and will search for those still unaccounted for through the night, per AP. Authorities released audio of the mayday call to California news outlets. In the audio, a person says he's the captain tells the dispatcher he "can’t breathe." He later says there’s "no escape hatch for any of the people on board."
BREAKING Listen to the Mayday Call from the Diving Boat that caught fire off of the coast of Southern California. @nbcbayareahttps://t.co/pldCktQvGq pic.twitter.com/qCK0V1yXVl
— John Zuchelli (@tvzuke) September 2, 2019
What we know so far, per AP:
- 39 passengers and crew had departed aboard the boat Conception from Santa Barbara’s Channel Islands Harbor on Saturday for a Labor Day weekend scuba-diving trip.
- The fire aboard the diving vessel Conception started about 3 a.m. local time as the boat was anchored in Platt Harbor, near the coast of Santa Cruz Island.
- 5 crew members were already awake and jumped off the bridge, Coast Guard Capt. Monica Rochester said at a press conference.
- By the time the Coast Guard got the mayday call, the boat was already engulfed in flames.
- The 4 bodies that were recovered had injuries consistent with drowning, according to Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Kroll.
What we don't know: The cause of the fire, and whether the crew tried to help any of the passengers.
#CoastInc: @VCFD responded to boat fire off the north side of Santa Cruz Island at approximately 3:28am. @USCG helping support rescue operations for people aboard a dive boat. #ChannelIslands @USCGLosAngeles @CountyVentura @SBCOUNTYFIRE pic.twitter.com/DwoPGfBjtA
— VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) September 2, 2019
Editor's note: This article has been updated with the latest information on the tragedy.
