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(CNN) - Eight people died and more than two dozen passengers are still missing after a 75-foot commercial dive ship caught fire Monday on the coast of Santa Cruz Island in southern California, the Coast Guard said. the United States.
Four of the bodies were recovered on Monday and have not yet been identified, something that Santa Barbara sheriff Bill Brown, who also acts as a coroner, said it will take some time. Four other victims were seen at the bottom of the ocean "very close" to the ship, called Conception.
"Our hearts are with 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 Captain Monica Rochester of the Los Angeles and Long Beach sector.
Good Samaritans were able to save five crew members, who were awake in the main cabin and jumped out of the boat, Rochester said. Passengers were under the deck in the docking area that is mainly used for sleeping, Aaron Bemis of the Coast Guard told CNN.
#CoastInc: @VCFD responded to boat fire off the north side of Santa Cruz Island at approximately 3:28 am. @USCG helping support rescue operations for people aboard a dive boat. #ChannelIslands @USCGLosAngeles @CountyVentura @SBCOUNTYFIRE pic.twitter.com/DwoPGfBjtA
- VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) September 2, 2019
"The report we got is that they were caught by the fire," said Bemis. “The fire was so intense that even after we put it out, we cannot embark and look for survivors at this time. It is still ongoing. ”
There are 26 missing people, Brown said.