On Monday, the commercial vessel Conception was destroyed by fire off the coast of Santa Cruz Island. The ship was to set off on a guided tour for divers. According to reports, there were 39 people on the ship, five crew members jumped from the burning ship and were evacuated.

“As for the crew, they will be interrogated today,” – the sheriff said at a press conference broadcast by local television channels. “Yes, all the data indicates that he (the captain) was among those who jumped (from the ship),” – he said, answering journalists’ questions. The surviving crew members were picked up by a passing ship. The sheriff said that one crew member died because he was sleeping at the time of the fire.

Now the bodies of 20 dead have been removed from the water, the search for the rest continues. The search and rescue operation has now been completed.