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These are the passengers and crew that were aboard the ship that caught fire in California

2019-09-04T13:10:24.479Z


Thirty-nine people were traveling aboard the Conception ship in California, resting after a day of diving and gourmet meals when the flames engulfed the ship. These are the stories ...


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Santa Barbara, California (CNN) - Thirty-nine avid divers, families, and crew members aboard the Conception ship rested after a day of diving and gourmet meals when the flames engulfed the ship in the hours before dawn of Day I work in the United States.

Most of the passengers had come from several cities in the San Francisco Bay area to dive through the colorful marine life for three days, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.

Only five people, all crew members, were found alive and the bodies of 20 people were recovered from the coast of Santa Cruz Island. The search for survivors was suspended after crews searched the sea for more than 24 hours.

While the authorities have not revealed the identities of the people who were on board the Conception, this is what we know about some of them:

Kristy Finstad

This marine biologist, who grew up swimming in the state Channel Islands and owned a diving company based in Santa Cruz, was aboard the Conception ship, her brother said.

Kristy Finstad was leading the diving trip on the ship, Brett Harmeling wrote in a Facebook post.

Finstad owned Worldwide Diving Adventures, a local company that rented the Truth Aquatics Conception dive boat, business records show.

  • READ: What we know about the burning ship in California and its last trip

Kristy Finstad

She had "thousands of dives under her belt" and studied marine life in the Tahitian Islands, Costa Rica and Australia, according to her company's website.

“My mission is to inspire appreciation for our underwater world. I feel incredibly fortunate to be at the service of helping people invest in lifelong experiences, ”he said in his biography.

Finstad and her husband had also sailed through the South Pacific "to find new and amazing places" for their clients.

“Thank you ALL for your unconditional love and support during this incredibly tragic time. My family and I really appreciate it. Nothing definitive is known about my sister Kristy; however, it is likely that he has made the transition to be with the good Lord, ”Harmeling wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

Mike Kohls

Kohls was a cook and deck sailor at the Conception, his brother said.

Kohls, who was a lifelong surfer and father of a daughter, generally prepared breakfast for the ship's passengers around 4 am, James Kohls told reporters on Monday while he was waiting for news from his brother.

  • They recover 20 bodies from the fatal fire of a diving boat in California

Allie Kurtz

Allie Kurtz felt at home diving in the ocean, her mother said.

Cherie McDonough flew to California from Cincinnati, Ohio, after learning about the fire on the Conception dive boat. His 25-year-old daughter was a passenger on the ship, he said.

Kurtz worked for Paramount Pictures for several years, but "he wanted to follow his dreams in the ocean, the sea, diving," his mother told reporters at a monument in the port of Santa Barbara.

"She was an entrepreneur," said her mother. “She liked being here, and she loved the boat. He loved diving, ”he said.

34 candles for the 34 lost aboard the #Conception #boatfire near #SantaBarbara #California pic.twitter.com/tlTzo4qpCH

- Jason Kravarik (@jasonkCNN) September 3, 2019

McDonough collapsed and began to sob on the floor when he saw the photo of his daughter at the monument. There were 34 candles in memory of the 34 people presumed dead.

The message below the photo read: “I love you, Allie, and you know that I always will. I will miss you forever. ”

Scott Chan

Physics teacher Raymond (Scott) Chan was aboard the Conception with his daughter, said Fremont Unified School District spokesman Brian Killgore.

"Mr. Chan was a beloved teacher at the AHS among students and colleagues," the district said in a statement. "His students knew he was an innovative and inspiring teacher who developed a passion for physics among his students."

Chan had been teaching two advanced physics classes in the district for the past three years, according to the statement.

"His loss is a tremendous tragedy for our school district."

  • The ship that caught fire in California was in the "worst case scenario," according to the sheriff

Neal Baltz

Neal Baltz, an Arizona resident, was in the diving boat that caught fire, his father, John Baltz, told CNN affiliate KNXV.

A family of five

Five members of a family in Stockton, California, were aboard the boat celebrating a birthday, Dominic Selga told KOVR, a CNN affiliate.

Selga said she is trying to accept the news that her mother, Fernisa Sison, her husband, Michael Quitasol and their three stepsisters, Angela Quitasol, Evan Quitasol and Nicole Quitasol, are probably dead.

"You know deep down that it is true, that they have died and were in that boat and that they will not find them," Selga told the affiliate.

The family loved to dive and signed up to spend a long weekend of unlimited and colorful exploration of underwater marine life and enjoy the gourmet meals that come with it. The adventure was to celebrate Michael Quitasol's birthday, he said.

“Diving is something they shared. It's one thing that ... made them happy together, ”he said.

- CNN's Chris Boyette, Darran Simon, Dave Alsup and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.

Fires

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2019-09-04

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