Rescue efforts end as 34 confirmed dead in California boat fire
LOS-ANGELES. KAZINFORM Local authorities concluded Tuesday that 34 people were killed in a diving boat fire off California the previous day and terminated rescue operations for nine people who remained unaccounted for.
The bodies of 25 people have been recovered. A local coast guard and other authorities will search for those of the remaining nine.
The fire broke out while the 20-meter diving boat Conception was anchored off the shore of Santa Cruz Island, just west of Los Angeles, in the predawn hours of Monday, Kyodo News reports.
Although five crew members jumped off the boat immediately after it caught fire and were rescued by a nearby ship, the vessel sank while attempts were being made to extinguish the fire.
A total of 39 people -- 33 passengers and six crew -- were on the boat when it was engulfed in flames, according to a local fire department.
Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park, is a popular tourist destination known for leisure activities including diving, snorkeling and whale watching.