A boat filled with tourists who go diving caught fire and sank in California

Los Angeles coastguard lead rescue operation after trial a ship caught fire and sank off the California coast. As it appeared, the boat was carrying to a group of diving enthusiasts, who were heading to the island of Santa Cruz. Until now, firefighters have helped five crew members with minor injuries and searched for the rest of the pbadengers.

Coastal authorities and Ventura firefighters have indicated that there are 33 missing persons. As reported by the CNN, among the rescued is the captain of the ship, who joined the search tasks.

The boat, 23 meters long, was sailing near the island of Santa Cruz when it was consumed by fire. On Monday at 3:28 am, early in the morning, the firefighters were alerted by the ship and urgently transferred to the site.

For rescuers, extinguishing flames is not an easy task. "We put out the fire and it starts again, maybe because of the amount of fuel on board. We do not know why, "said Aaron Bemis, coastguard commander.

The boat, called "Conception", is based in the port of Santa Barbara and is generally used for recreational dives. Pbadenger compartments have been described as very narrow, which could hinder a quick evacuation or make a smokeless smoking scenario more viable. Bill Nash, a member of the fire department, said it was a big boat and fears that there are several deaths, But he avoided giving details.

According to the website of Truth Aquatics, a company offering recreational nautical services, the boat took off on Saturday and was to return Monday afternoon in a tourist package for the long weekend of Labor Day in the United States.