Coast Guard calls off search for people trapped on burning boat

Source: FREDERIC J. BROWN / Getty

Coast Guard Calls Off Search Passenger Of Burning California Boat

The story of the boat that caught fire off the coast of Santa Cruz, California took over the news cycle this weekend as America held it’s breath in hopes that 34 of the 39 passengers who weren’t rescued would be found alive.

Unfortunately, according to NBCNews, that isn’t the case.

The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search and rescue efforts after 24 hours of desperate searching.

“It is never an easy decision to suspend search efforts,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Monica Rochester said during a Tuesday news conference. But no signs of distress had been found during the 24-hour-long search and “we should all be prepared to move into the worst outcome,” she said.

Investigators and crew will now turn their attention to the recovery of the vessel and looking into why the fire started in the first place. At this point, the rest of the passengers are assumed dead.

He said authorities were in contact with families of 30 of the victims, and were collecting DNA samples from them to identify remains. “Many, if not all of the victims will need to be identified through DNA analysis” because the bodies had suffered extreme thermal damage, Brown said.

Rest in peace to the victims. Prayers up for their family and friends.