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Sen. Warren presses Hegseth to answer questions about his past actions and statements
Read full article: Sen. Warren presses Hegseth to answer questions about his past actions and statementsSen. Elizabeth Warren is pressing Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, to answer additional questions about his past actions and statements before next Tuesday’s confirmation hearing.
Diving boat victims likely died from smoke inhalation, official says
Read full article: Diving boat victims likely died from smoke inhalation, official saysOf the 39 people aboard the 75-foot dive boat Conception, only five crew members, including the captain, were found alive. Preliminary indications are that "the cause of death was smoke inhalation" and "that the victims died prior to being burned," Brown told reporters. There are no plans for autopsies because of the belief that smoke inhalation killed the victims, Brown said. "At that point, due to heat, flames and smoke, the crew had to jump from the boat," Homendy said. Officials interviewed the owner operator of the dive boat, Homendy said, without giving any details.
Flames blocked escape routes, trapped sleeping scuba divers
Read full article: Flames blocked escape routes, trapped sleeping scuba diversThe 75-foot commercial diving boat, called the Conception, caught fire Labor Day off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in Southern California. SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The 34 people feared dead in a California dive boat fire likely got trapped when the roaring blaze blocked their escape routes and confined them to the lower sleeping deck, authorities said. Passengers were not locked in the sleeping deck, but they were unable to flee the burning boat, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. The boat was about 20 miles off the mainland coast, near Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands National Park. Rapid DNA technology to be used to ID victimsAuthorities will use rapid DNA technology to identify those whose bodies were burned beyond recognition, Brown said.
Here are the passengers, crew members on board Calif. dive boat
Read full article: Here are the passengers, crew members on board Calif. dive boatOnly five people -- all crew members -- were found alive and the bodies of 20 people have been recovered off the coast of Santa Cruz Island. Kristy Finstad was leading a dive trip on the vessel, Brett Harmeling wrote in a Facebook post. Finstad is the owner of Worldwide Diving Adventures, a local company that chartered the Conception dive boat from Truth Aquatics, business records show. Cherie McDonough flew to California from Cincinnati, Ohio, after she heard about the fire on the Conception diving boat. "She loved it here, and she loved the boat.
California boat fire: 'Worst-case scenario,' sheriff says
Read full article: California boat fire: 'Worst-case scenario,' sheriff saysA California dive-boat fire that killed dozens of people was a 'worst-case' scenario, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. At least 25 bodies have been found, according to Coast Guard officials who spoke to the Los Angeles Times. A search and rescue effort for survivors will become a recovery mission Tuesday morning, Eliason told reporters Monday. A mayday call revealed one side of the harrowing discussion between a Coast Guard dispatcher and the Conception's captain. ... Roger, is the vessel fully engulfed right now ... Roger, and there's no escape hatch for any of the people on board?"