LOS ANGELES, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Search crews have recovered the bodies of 33 people who died in the dive boat fire early Monday off the coast of Southern California, authorities said on Wednesday.
One passenger, who is believed to have perished in the disaster, remains missing, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Commander Kevin Huddle said medical examiners worked overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday to examine the remains found so far and identify the victims.
A total of 34 people are presumed dead following the pre-dawn fire near Santa Cruz Island.
At the time of the accident, 39 people were on board. Five crew members, who had been awake and jumped overboard, survived the devastating fire, and were rescued and transported to Ventura Harbor on Monday.
The boat was on a three-day diving trip when it caught fire early Monday morning. It departed from Santa Barbara at 4 a.m. (1100 GMT) on Saturday for a diving excursion, and was scheduled to return on Tuesday morning, according to local authorities.
