25 bodies found after scuba dive boat blaze

At least 25 people have died and nine are still missing after a fire raged through a boat carrying recreational scuba divers anchored near an island off the Southern California coast.

US Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Matthew Kroll said authorities recovered 20 bodies and found five more. Those five have not been recovered due to unsafe conditions under the boat, which sank about 18m from shore.

Four bodies were recovered on Monday morning and 16 others were recovered later in the day.

Authorities will search for the nine people still unaccounted for through the night. “We should all be prepared to move into the worst outcome,” Coast Guard Captain Monica Rochester said at a news conference.

The fire broke out aboard the vessel Conception at around 3am local time off Santa Cruz Island, part of a chain of rugged windswept isles that form Channel Islands National Park in the Pacific Ocean west of Los Angeles.

Five of six crew members escaped by jumping off the boat and taking refuge on an inflatable boat called The Grape Escape that was anchored nearby.

The Grape Escape’s owners, Bob and Shirley Hansen, told The New York Times they were asleep when they heard pounding on the side of their 60ft fishing vessel at about 3.30am and discovered the frightened crew members. They told the couple they had fled when the fire grew out of control.

“When we looked out, the other boat was totally engulfed in flames, from stem to stern,” Mr Hansen said, estimating it was no more than 100 yards from his craft.

“I could see the fire coming through holes on the side of the boat. There were these explosions every few beats. It was horrendous.”

“The fire was too big, there was absolutely nothing we could do,” he added.

Picture: AP. The vessel engulfed in flames.