California boat fire victims likely died of smoke inhalation

The 23m Conception burns during a rescue operation off Santa Cruz Island, California, US.

Divers have so far recovered the burned remains of 33 victims, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told a news conference. The Conception erupted in flames at about 3.15am on Monday off Santa Cruz Island, killing 33 passengers and a crew member in one of California’s worst maritime disasters. The sheriff stopped short of saying the findings meant the crew’s efforts would have been too late to save the victims, cautioning that more investigation was required.Officials have decided against conducting autopsies on the victims, a move aimed at more quickly releasing the remains to family members, some of whom had travelled to California from as far away as India.

The passengers had signed up for a three-day scuba diving trip aboard the Conception and were sleeping below deck along with one crew member when the fire erupted. That crew member, who perished in the accident, was identified on Friday as 26-year-old Alexandra Kurtz. That action appears to be pre-emptive as no lawsuits have yet been filed against Truth Aquatics over the accident.

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