Posted on 09/03/2019 8:08:34 AM PDT by sheana
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — A middle-of-the-night fire swept a boat carrying recreational scuba divers anchored near an island off the Southern California coast early Monday, leaving at least 25 dead and nine others missing.
Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr Matthew Kroll said Monday night that 25 people had died. Five of six crew members on the Conception escaped by jumping into an inflatable boat they steered to a nearby vessel.
Rescuers initially recovered four bodies about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles just off Santa Cruz Island, and 16 others were pulled from the water later in the day. The Coast Guard says five others have been found but not recovered due to unsafe conditions under the boat, which sank about 20 yards (18 meters) from shore.
Authorities will search for the nine people still unaccounted for through the night.
“We should all be prepared to move into the worst outcome,” Coast Guard Capt. Monica Rochester said at a news conference.
The four bodies recovered initially had injuries consistent with drowning, Kroll said.
(Excerpt) Read more at kget.com ...
I’m wonderin’ why the crew was able to jump overboard, but the passengers were not.
Something doesn’t add up.
The four bodies recovered initially had injuries consistent with drowning, Kroll said.
...
I wonder if those four managed to escape the fire and jump in the water.
Sounds like no Fire Watch to me. But I will wait for more facts to come out.
L
RIP!
I’m wonderin’ why the crew was able to jump overboard, but the passengers were not.
Something doesn’t add up.
Story does seem to be changing. From “crew blown overboard by explosion “ to crew got in lifeboat and sailed away from burning ship. Passengers drowning suggests they survived the explosion, obviously.
Simple. The crew was on the deck awake and preparing for breakfast and the passengers were all below deck sleeping.
There is an earlier post here that said they were sleeping below deck and the fire prevented them from escaping.
The crew was on deck while passengers were asleep below deck, and their only way out was blocked. Meanwhile the crew could just jump off.
The ones trapped below decks likely died from smoke (hopefully).
If there was a propane leak, the gas might have leaked down into the sleeping quarters and succumbed the sleepers, or worse, ignited while they slept.
They slept on top and let the sheep take the death beds below deck.
Boat design. Passenger bunks were below deck with only a narrow staircase to exit through. Crew quarters were on deck level.
“I wonder if those four managed to escape the fire and jump in the water.”
1. 20 yards from shore
2. Can divers swim?
“Passenger bunks were below deck with only a narrow staircase to exit through.”
Yes, it’s a BOAT.
I’m not a sailor, but doesn’t common sense and also Coast Guard require that any passenger boats, particularly with sleeping quarters, have a constant watch?
I don’t know if it’s a regulation but it’s certainly common sense. Every ship I was on had watches posted 24-7-365. I know because I sure as hell stood my share of them.
L
I’ve been on a fair number of boats and there has always been more than one way to exit from below.
Still could have been blocked or maybe bad design in this case.
I’m betting on a fuel or propane leak and a random source of ignition. Would have happened very quickly.
My wife and I have been sick about this since we heard the news on the way home last night.
We have been on The Conception, 7 years ago. Best trip I ever had. Crew was awesome. Everyone acted as if we were honored guests. Captain on down, they were the best.
I have also been on the Vision, run by the same company,3 years ago. The crew attitudes could not have been more different. They seemed to have contempt for the paying guests, as well as being pretty damned lax about safety. They overfilled my scuba tanks by 500 psi, then told me they did it all the time. Federal regs about it not withstanding.
It seemed like the crew were on a cruise and we were in the way of their having a good time.
See my tripadvisor posting on the Vision trip. I am not hard to please.
I don’t recall a safety briefing on the Vision trip, other than lifejacket locations.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.