Dive boat sinks in flames off California, 34 missing
Los Angeles: A commercial scuba-dive boat sank amid intense flames early Monday off the coast of Southern California and 34 passengers were unaccounted for, the US Coast Guard said.
Many were feared dead.
Fire crews in helicopters, small boats and a Coast Guard cutter spent hours desperately battling the fierce pre-dawn fire on the 75-foot (23-meter) Conception, which had been on a diving excursion around Santa Cruz Island.
But the blaze and intense heat prevented them from breaching the vessel's hull to search for survivors before the craft sank, the Coast Guard said.
Five Conception crew members were awake and jumped into the water when flames burst out around 3:15 am (1015 GMT), Coast Guard Captain Monica Rochester told reporters in a televised briefing.
The five were rescued by people on a pleasure craft called the Grape Escape, Rochester said.
She said it was unclear whether the Conception's crew had been able to try to rescue any passengers, all of whom were believed to have been sleeping in a bunk cabin below decks.
She said 34 people -- not the 33 reported earlier by the Coast Guard -- were unaccounted for when the Conception sank 20 yards (meters) offshore, leaving only its bow exposed.
"I'm unaware of any survivors at this time," Coast Guard Petty Officer Aaron Bemis told CNN earlier, adding that it was too soon to confirm casualties.
Rochester said the Coast Guard was still in "response phase" -- meaning search and rescue efforts were continuing, primarily through a shoreline search for possible survivors.
She said the Conception, which was launched in 1981 by a Santa Barbara-based company called Truth Aquatics, "has been in full compliance" with safety regulations, and that its owner was cooperating with investigators.
Asked whether there had been an explosion on board or a slow-developing fire, Rochester said that "the only Mayday call we received was the vessel was engulfed in flames." Bemis said the fire was put out multiple times but flared back up, apparently because of the amount of fuel in the vessel, which could carry up to 1,600 gallons, according to the company website.
Bill Nash, a spokesperson for Ventura County, told CNN many people were feared dead. Crews from that county and from Santa Barbara County had joined the Coast Guard in battling the fire.
"It's a large boat, and we know we have numerous fatalities," Nash said.
The Truth Aquatics website said the Conception, listed as having bunks for up to 46 people, had been scheduled to return Monday from a three-day trip after visiting several diving spots around Santa Cruz Island.
The area is popular for a variety of water and outdoor sports.
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Six faculty members of dental college suspended following student's suicide
Bengaluru (PTI): Six faculty members of a dental college here have been suspended by the management pending further inquiry into the death of a 23-year-old student by suicide.
In an official communication dated January 12, Bengaluru-based institution, The Oxford Dental College, said that the inquiry in the matter would continue and that the suspension would remain in force till further notification.
The suspended faculty members include senior lecturers Anmol Razdan, Shabana Banu, Faika Kolkar and Alba Dinesh, Reader Sindhu R, and Professor Sushmini Hegde, all from the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, the communication said.
The action comes after a third-year dental student of the college, Yashaswini, was found hanging at her residence here on Friday.
Family members have accused the college management of harassing her, alleging that she was subjected to humiliation, which drove her to take the extreme step.
She was the only child of her parents, Parimala and Bhudevaiah, police added. According to her mother, Yashaswini had taken leave on Wednesday, citing eye pain.
When she returned to college the following day, she was allegedly humiliated in front of other students for not participating in a seminar, her mother alleged.
Following Yashaswini's death, aggrieved students staged a sit-in protest outside the morgue, demanding action against those responsible.
Police said a case has been registered in connection with the incident, and further investigation is underway.
