The US prosecutor said charges of manslaughter were brought against the captain of a diving ship that caught fire and sank off the coast of California in 2019, killing 34 people on board.

Each of the 34 manslaughter charges brought against the captain, Jerry Neal Boylan, 67, carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted, according to a statement issued by the US Attorney's office in Los Angeles.

The prosecution statement said today, Wednesday, that Boylan was charged with causing the death of 33 passengers and one of the crew members, due to his "misconduct, negligence and indifference to his duties."

The jury cited a number of safety violations, including failure to use a night watchman or roaming guards on the ship as required and not undergoing adequate training for the crew.

The victims were asleep in rooms below the deck of the Concepcion, when it caught fire in the early hours of September 2 while it was docked at Platts Harbor near Santa Cruz Island.

The five crew members who survived the accident, including Boylan, were on deck beds behind the wheelhouse, and jumped into the water when the ship that sank in the waters of the Pacific Sea was engulfed by fire.

They told the interrogators that the flames of the passenger rooms were so intense that they could not rescue those inside.

The forensic investigation concluded that the victims had died of suffocation.

Source: Reuters

By:Nadeemy Haded See Less