Boat Explosion Call Is Labeled a Hoax
A call for help from someone who claimed to be on an exploding boat was apparently a hoax, the Coast Guard said Thursday as it halted its search for wreckage in the Santa Barbara Channel.
An extensive search turned up no debris or other evidence indicating any explosion had occurred, Petty Officer Kerry Kingery said.
“We think it was a hoax,” he said. “The weather improved and we did a good search. We found no trail.”
The search started Wednesday after a ham radio operator picked up a distress signal involving an explosion 25 miles west-southwest of Point Conception, the Coast Guard said.
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