Eight dead and 25 people missing after dive boat catches fire in California

Five crew members who were awake on the upper deck of the 75ft scuba diving boat jumped into the sea when the blaze broke out.

Pic: SBCFireInfo
Image: The fire broke out on a commercial scuba diving vessel. Pic: SBCFireInfo
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Eight people have been confirmed dead after a dive boat caught fire and sank off the coast of southern California, officials have said.

Four bodies, two men and two women, were recovered from the wreckage of the boat, while the other four were discovered on the ocean floor near the vessel, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.

It was uncertain when the remains of those found on the sea bed would be recovered, he added.

Hopes are fading for another 25 people still missing, many of whom were sleeping below deck in small berths.

The 75ft-long (22 metre) commercial scuba diving boat, named Conception, had been anchored near Santa Cruz Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara, when the fire broke out just after 3am on Monday.

More than 30 people were on board the 75ft yacht
Image: More than 30 people were on board the 75ft-long vessel
A rescue operation has launched following a boat fire in southern California. Pic: Ventura County Fire Department
Image: A rescue operation was launched following the fire. Pic: Ventura County Fire Department

Five crew members who had been awake on the upper deck were able to escape and jump into the sea.

They were rescued by a good Samaritan pleasure craft called The Grape Escape.

Two of them suffered minor injuries.

The Grape Escape's owners Bob and Shirley Hansen told the New York Times they were woken by pounding on the side of their fishing vessel.

Mr Hansen added: "When we looked out, the other boat was totally engulfed in flames, from stem to stern.

"I could see the fire coming through holes on the side of the boat. There were these explosions every few beats. You can't prepare yourself for that. It was horrendous."

"The fire was too big, there was absolutely nothing we could do," he added.

Mr Hansen said he and his wife gave the crew clothes and two of them went back towards the Conception looking for survivors.

An image of the route the boat took after leaving Santa Barbara. Pic: MarineTraffic.com
Image: An image of the route taken by the boat after leaving Santa Barbara. Pic: MarineTraffic.com
Firefighters try to put the fire out off the coast of southern California. Pic: SBCFireInfo
Image: Firefighters try to put the blaze off Santa Cruz Island. Pic: SBCFireInfo

The Conception was around 59ft (18 metres) offshore when it sank in 64ft (19 metres) of water while crews tried to extinguish the fire, Captain Monica Rochester of the Coast Guard said.

The US Coast Guard has helicopters, small boats and a patrol cutter taking part in a search-and-rescue operation off Santa Cruz Island, which is around 90 miles (140km) from Los Angeles.

Capt Rochester said: "We will search all the way through the night into the morning but I think we all should be prepared to move into the worst outcome."

The Conception was operated by Worldwide Diving Adventures, a respected Santa Barbara-based company that says on its website it has been taking divers on such expeditions since 1972.

It left at 4am on Saturday for a three-day diving trip and was scheduled to return at 5pm on Monday.

The vessel was scheduled to visit San Miguel, a rarely visited island with a variety of interesting sea life including anemones, crabs and nudibranchs.