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Monday in the wee hours of the morning, as news of the devastating fire aboard the Design Diving Ship was spreading, family members and friends of those aboard began to run to sites from Ventura County and the coasts of Santa Barbara, looking for information their loved ones.
James Kohl went to the Coast Guard headquarters in Oxnard, hoping to know the fate of his brother, Cook, Cook at La Conception, who caught fire near the shoreline of Santa Cruz Island around 3:30 am in the morning, killing at least four people. 30 other passengers missing.
Many people aboard the ship were probably sleeping under the bridge when the fire broke out, triggering intense flames that overwhelmed the vessel by 25 meters. Five crew members, who were on deck at the time, escaped and were rescued by a
good Samaritan boat nearby. The Conception sank at around 7:20 am, said the Coast Guard.
The names of missing and deceased persons are kept pending next-of-kin notifications.
Conception had left the port of Santa Barbara Saturday morning and was expected to return Monday around 17 hours. In the early afternoon, dozens of floral arrangements lined the Sea Landing ramp of the harbor, from which Conception departed.
representative
Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village),
who arrived at the harbor with family members looking for answers, said, "Devastating. Tragic. And we hope that there will remain survivors. "
Port employees said they could not comment on the tragedy and were still waiting to hear from the Coast Guard. Employees kissed while tourists and other people fishing boarded a nearby boat.
By noon, officials had established a family support center in Earl
Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara
and a telephone line was opened at (833) 688-5551.
Suzanne Grimmesey, a spokeswoman for Santa Barbara County, said that many of the family members of the passengers were en-route and came from outside the region.
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