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The six-member crew aboard a scuba diving boat were asleep when it caught fire off the California coast last week, killing 34 people, announced Thursday federal investigators.
Conception was required to have a member of the team watch at night.
In a two-page preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that five crew members were sleeping in their accommodations behind the wheelhouse on the second bridge and another under the bridge when the fire broke out. Is declared.
The victims – 33 passengers and a crew member – died as a result of an inhalation of smoke, stuck under the raging fire.
FIRE INVESTIGATORS IN CALIFORNIA DIVE EXECUTE RESEARCH MANDATES
The report comes as investigators seek to determine the cause and attempt to recover the wreckage of Seabed Design amidst an on-going criminal investigation by the FBI, the Coast Guard and the United States. US Attorney's Office.
Following the tragedy, the Coast Guard issued additional safety recommendations, such as limiting the unsupervised charge of lithium-ion batteries and the use of power strips and extension cords.
The recommendations also suggest shipowners and operators to review emergency crew duties, identify emergency exits, check all firefighting equipment. and rescue on board, and to examine the state of the passenger accommodation spaces for "dangerous practices or other dangerous provisions".
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Coast Guard records show that the design has passed its two most recent inspections without a security breach. Previous customers have stated that the company owning the vessel, Truth Aquatics, and the captains of its three boats, were very safety conscious.
"Even though we do not officially know the cause of the fire, we believe, according to current evidence and testimony, that it is not the operator, the boat or the boat. The crew acted heroically and did everything they could to save the lives of the passengers and their teammates, "Truth Aquatics' lawyer Douglas Schwartz said in a statement to KRON. "We all hope and anticipate that new regulations will arise from the investigation.We would like to know if safety agencies aware of the dangers of lithium-ion batteries in other modes of transport have considered applying this knowledge to the boating industry. "
James Hall, a former NTSB president, told the Associated Press that a preliminary report is usually a summary of initial findings based on interviews, inspection documents and other records, as well as an examination of the maritime rules and regulations in force.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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