2019.09.04 14:42 GMT+8

Memorial grows for California boat fire victims, investigation begins

Updated 2019.09.04 14:42 GMT+8
CGTN

A makeshift memorial was made at Santa Barbara Harbor on Tuesday as people gathered for the 34 people believed to have died, when a dive boat caught fire and sank off the California coast. /VCG Photo

Mourners made their way to the dock and left flowers, candles, notes, and artifacts to remember lost lives. One of the shells was inscribed with the name “Kristy.” /VCG Photo

A team of federal investigators on Tuesday promised an exhaustive probe into the fire. Sixteen investigators were already taking part in the investigation, including specialists in operations, engineering, survival factors, and fire analysis, according to National Transportation Safety Board member Jennifer Homendy. /VCG Photo

Twenty badly burned bodies, 11 females and nine males, were recovered from the wreckage of the vessel Conception, which sank off Santa Cruz Island early on Monday. Officials said they believed none of the 14 other victims initially classified as missing had survived the fast-moving flames. /VCG Photo

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