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The US Coast Guard on Tuesday released an aerial image of the early morning boat fire that killed 34 people, possibly after being trapped while sleeping under the anchored off-shore bridge. south coast of California on Labor Day.
INVESTORS INDICATE 34 YEAR OF BOAT ABOVE SOUTH COAST OF CALIFORNIA IS BLOCKED
The video was taken by a Jayhawk helicopter from the Coast Guard MH-60. The crew reacted to the Conception boat fire off the island of Santa Cruz on Monday morning. The video shows clouds of white smoke and flames flooding the ship 75 feet. The boat seems to rock back when it starts to sink.
Lifeboats can also be seen heading towards the boat, according to images released by Fox 11 Los Angeles. In total, 39 people were aboard the Conception. Bill Brown, sheriff of Santa Barbara County, said Tuesday that the fire had quickly spread and that the flames had blocked both exits from the lower deck, where passengers and a crew member were sleeping in tight places.
Five people – the captain and four crew members – survived the fire. They were awakened on the upper decks, jumped overboard and directed an inflatable lifeboat to another anchored vessel nearby.
The boat, owned by Santa Barbara's Truth Aquatics, was chartered by the Santa Cruz Worldwide Diving Adventures to conduct a three-day dive off the Channel Islands.
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Rescuers suspended their search for additional survivors Tuesday night.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into the causes of the fire and the safety measures taken, such as fire extinguishers. The agency will interview survivors, first responders and companies involved in the diving trip, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A preliminary report could be released within 10 days of the incident.
Frank Miles and Hollie McKay of Fox News contributed to this report.
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