33 Bodies Recovered, 1 Missing in Tragic Calif. Diving Boat Fire as Families Mourn Victims

Search teams have recovered 33 bodies in the aftermath of the diving boat fire off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, California, leaving one person still missing.

The update comes one day after Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said that 20 bodies — 11 female and nine male — had beenbrought back to shore. At the time, he said divers had spotted between four and six more, but had been unable to reach them due to the position of the sunken vessel.

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The search for the last victim carried on into Wednesday morning, when about a dozen divers with the FBI gathered at Santa Barbara Harbor, according to theLos Angeles Times.

“Our priority is trying to find the last victim and also items that would be of interest to find out what happened,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lt. Brian Olmstead told the outlet. “You want to bring closure to the families.”

Thirty-nine people — 33 passengers and six crew members — were aboard the Conception when it erupted into flames just after 3 a.m.

RELATED VIDEO: Mayday Audio Raises Questions About Circumstances in Dive Boat Fire — Were Passengers Trapped?

Several of those family members have come forward to remember their loved ones, including Evita Olson, wholost three of her sisters: Evan Michael Quitasol Solano Quitasol, Nicole Storm Quitasol and Angela Rose Quitasol.

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“The biggest thing for me is that on August 17 my sisters were in my wedding,” Olson toldBuzzFeed News. “Angela was my maid of honor. She sang me a song for her maid of honor speech. Everything was so normal then…and now they’re just gone.”

The sisters were traveling with their father, Michael Storm Quitasol, and stepmother, Fernisa Sison, to celebrate Michael’s birthday when disaster struck, BuzzFeed reported. TheLos Angeles Timesreports a 17-year-old girl traveling with her parents also celebrated a birthday on board.

The sisters’ mother, Susana Solano Ross, confirmed that three of her daughters were missing in aheartbreaking Facebook poston Tuesday.

Nicole Quitasol.Facebook

“It is with a broken heart … 3 of our daughters were on this boat. As of now they are still missing … Thank you to all of you for your support prayers and good wishes,” she wrote.

The daughters’loved onesandformer employersalso confirmed their suspected deaths in a series ofGoFundMe pagesarranged for the family.

Angela, the youngest of the sisters, worked as a middle school science teacher with the Lincoln Unified School district in Stockton, according to theTimes.

Angela Quitasol.Facebook

Evan, the eldest of the group, worked as a nurse at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton, California.

Hospital officials confirmed Evan’s death in a statement to PEOPLE, writing, “We were extremely saddened to learn the tragic news that one of our nurses was on board the Conception. Two former long-term staff members were also on board. We held a prayer gathering in our Chapel this morning to offer comfort and support to our hospital family. Our hearts go out to all the families and loved ones of those on board the Conception.”

Evan also worked for Kaiser Permanente with her father and stepmother, the healthcare company told PEOPLE.

Quitasol sisters and family.GoFundMe

Middle daughter Nicole, 31, lived in Coronado near San Diego and worked in the city as a bartender at Nicky Rottens Bar and Burger.

“She was the kind of person you met once and felt like you were related to her,” her boss Bryn Andrew told PEOPLE.

Other victims include students from Pacific Collegiate School, a Santa Cruz charter school for grades 7-12.

“While this was not a school sponsored trip, our hearts and thoughts are with the families of the victims and those yet missing, particularly of those of our students and parents on board,” the school said in astatement.

KSBWreports that two students and one of those student’s parents were on the boat.

Fremont Unified School District also announced a loss onFacebook, writing that Raymond “Scott” Chan, a physics teacher at American High School, was among the victims.

Brown said a majority of those who perished were from Santa Cruz, San Jose and the Bay Area.

source: people.com