NO ESCAPE

Coast Guard Says No Remaining Survivors of Conception Boat Fire

Exits were apparently blocked by fire that incinerated vessel.

Officials believe there are no remaining survivors of the devastating fire that almost completely incinerated a dive boat off the coast of Southern California, authorities said Tuesday. The Coast Guard said it has suspended the search for survivors of the Conception. Twenty bodies were recovered and fourteen people are still unaccounted for, though divers spotted at least four bodies on the sea floor that they cannot yet access. The dive boat was carrying about 34 passengers below decks when the fire broke out around 3 a.m. Monday. Santa Barbara Sheriff Bill Brown said “it would appear as though both of [the exits from the decks] were blocked by fire.” Brown said the bodies were severely burned and officials will perform DNA analysis to identify the victims before releasing names to the public.