Dozens die in their bunks as horror fire engulfs scuba diving boat off California coast
- Passengers slept in the ship’s lower quarters while five crew members who were above deck on the bridge escaped
- Scuba or propane tanks may have exploded in the fire, but that had not been confirmed
A boat fire in southern California left 25 people dead and nine others missing after the vessel was engulfed in flames while passengers slept below deck in their bunks.
The US Coast Guard said five crew members escaped from the Conception, a 22-metre commercial scuba diving boat during the pre-dawn fire Monday, but 33 passengers and one other crew member were missing or found dead.
US Coast Guard official Matthew Kroll said the first bodies recovered had signs consistent with drowning.
The boat at the time was docked near Santa Cruz Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.
The first four bodies recovered earlier on Monday were identified as two adult males and two adult females, but authorities said they would need to carry out DNA tests to identify them.
Officials had no other details to share about the missing people, saying the passengers came from across southern California and likely farther away.