California Boat Tragedy Hits Close to Home for Hollywood Star Rob Lowe: 'A Boat I've Been on Many Times'
Actor Rob Lowe recently responded to a tragedy off the coast of California in which a cruiser carrying a group of scuba divers caught fire on Monday.
Officials have confirmed that at least 34 people are presumed dead as a result of the early-morning fire aboard the Conception, a diving boat that takes recreational scuba divers out to sea for days at a time, The Associated Press reported.
BREAKING: The Coast Guard has suspended the search for survivors of the California boat fire; no one found alive among 34 missing. https://t.co/vRm3EDF4VI
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 3, 2019
According to the AP, five members of the crew were able to escape the flames and find refuge aboard a nearby fishing vessel. A man and woman aboard that boat helped the crew members to safety. Two of the survivors have sustained mild injuries.
Initially, all of the boat’s passengers were unaccounted for, along with a sixth member of the crew. Rescuers have since recovered at 25 bodies from the waters west of Ventura.
Nine people remain missing.
“We should all be prepared to move into the worst outcome,” Coast Guard Capt. Monica Rochester said, according to the AP. The most likely outcome is that all 34 passengers died in the fire or drowned.
The Conception, which had embarked on a three-day diving excursion, caught fire around 3 a.m. and eventually sank nearly four hours later, early on Monday morning.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
As the community reels from the incident, responses and messages of support have poured in, with people offering prayers from across the nation.
Lowe revealed that he had been a passenger on the cruiser on multiple occasions. The “Parks and Recreation” star and longtime California resident expressed his heartbreak over the devastating incident.
My heart breaks for those onboard the Conception. An unspeakable horror on a boat I’ve been on many times. My prayers and thoughts are with the families.
— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) September 2, 2019
“My heart breaks for those onboard the Conception,” Lowe wrote on Twitter just hours after news of the tragedy broke. “An unspeakable horror on a boat I’ve been on many times.”
The actor added that he will be praying for those left behind.
“My prayers and thoughts are with the families.”
Meanwhile, the recovery effort for the remaining missing passengers continues.
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