Pretty sad. They were only 20 yards from shore, but most of the dead were asleep below deck and probably overcome by toxic fumes.

Eight people died and more than two dozen passengers remained unaccounted for after a 75-foot commercial diving boat on a Labor Day excursion caught fire off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in Southern California, officials said.



Four of the bodies were recovered Monday and have yet to be identified, something Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown -- who also acts as the coroner -- said will take some time. Four other victims were spotted at the bottom of the ocean "in close proximity" to the boat, named the Conception.

"Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy," Brown said.



There were a total of 39 people on board -- 33 passengers and six crew members, said Coast Guard Capt. Monica Rochester. Twenty-six people are missing.

"We all should be prepared to move into the worst outcome," she told reporters.

Good Samaritans were able to save five crew members, who were awake in the main cabin and jumped off the fully engulfed boat, Rochester said. The passengers were below deck in the berthing area that's primarily used for sleeping, the Coast Guard's Aaron Bemis told CNN.

"The report that we got is that they were trapped by the fire," Bemis said. "The fire was so intense that even after it was put out, we're not able to actually embark the vessel and look for survivors at this point. It's still ongoing."

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/02/us/california-boat-fire-rescue/index.html