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Rescuers locate 25 bodies after California dive boat fire

03 September 2019 14:11 (UTC +04:00)

Twenty-five bodies have been located in the wake of a tragic fire on and sinking of a scuba diving boat near Santa Cruz Island in the US state of California, APA reports citing the channel KFSN-TV.

According to the broadcaster, five people have been rescued while nine are still missing.

The 75-foot dive boat named Conception with 39 people on board started its excursion to the Channel Islands on Saturday and was expected to return to Santa Barbara on Tuesday.

At around 3:15 a.m. local time (10:15 GMT) on Monday, the boat sent out a mayday signal and was already engulfed in flames.

Responding to the incident, the US Coast Guard’s Los Angeles office said that it had managed to rescue five people from the crew, while others were believed to be sleeping below deck.

The causes of the fire remain unknown, and the authorities have launched a corresponding investigation.