Divers have found the body of the last of the 34 victims of the deadly Labor Day dive boat fire in the Channel Islands. They recovered the bodies of 33 of the victims last week, but didn’t find the last one until Wednesday. The Santa Barbara based “Conception” caught on fire and sank off of Santa Cruz Island September 2nd.
39 people were on board, but only five crew members survived.
Meanwhile, even though the investigation is just getting underway into the cause of the fire, the Coast Guard has issued some new safety warnings. It’s calling for boats to limit the use of power strips and extension cords. And, new guidelines call for restricting the unsupervised charging of lithium-ion batteries, which have been linked to fires.
Officials with the agency say boat crews should be up to date on training, and review emergency escape routes. And, they are calling on boat owners to make sure firefighting gear is in order, and that passenger areas meet all safety requirements.
