SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Sacramento County Coroner's Office is sending a crew down to Southern California to assist in identifying victims of the deadly boat fire off the Ventura Coast.
As of 10 p.m. on Monday, 25 people are confirmed dead and nine are still missing after a fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. near Santa Cruz Island. The 74-foot vessel "Conception" was carrying its passengers on a scuba diving excursion to Channel Islands National Park.
Five of six crew members escaped by jumping into an inflatable dinghy and managed to reach a vessel anchored nearby.
Sacramento County Coroner Kimberly Gin told ABC10 their office has rapid DNA testing equipment that Santa Barbara doesn't have, which will help in identifying victims.
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