Officials: Some deaths, 34 missing in California boat fire
- Country:
- United States
Some people have died and rescuers were searching for 34 more Monday morning after a fire broke out aboard a dive boat off the Southern California Coast. Capt Brian McGrath of the Ventura County Fire Department confirmed some deaths to The Daily Beast but said he could not give an exact number.
Five crew members sleeping on the top deck of the 75-foot (20-meter) commercial scuba diving vessel were rescued, according to Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Kroll of the US Coast Guard. But he said 34 passengers who were sleeping below deck have not been accounted for. One of the crew suffered minor injuries.
The Coast Guard has helicopters, small boats, and a patrol cutter in the area for a search-and-rescue operation off of Santa Cruz Island, about 90 miles (140 kilometers) from Los Angeles. The Ventura County Fire Department said on Twitter that it responded to the fire around 3:30 am. A photo tweeted by the department shows a boat engulfed in flames.
It's not clear how many people were on the boat, but the Coast Guard earlier said that more than 30 people were "in distress."
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
- READ MORE ON:
- AP
- rescuers
- passengers
- Los Angeles
- US Coast Guard
- crew
- crewmembers
- boat
ALSO READ
This Los Angeles heist sounds like it came from a thriller novel; thieves stole $30 million in cash
Clinging to ropes, passengers escape bus swept away by Kenya floodwater
US Coast Guard says boardings of Chinese fishing vessels in South Pacific legal
Islamabad-bound PIA flight from Saudi carrying Pak PM Sharif diverted to Lahore, inconveniencing other passengers
US Coast Guard says boardings of Chinese fishing vessels in South Pacific legal