conception dive boat tragedy

One of the deadliest accidents in recent U.S. maritime history was the fault of owners of a Southern California dive boat whose lack of oversight resulted in a fire that swept through the vessel and killed 34 people in their bunks below deck, federal safety officials ruled Tuesday.

Crew members of a Southern California dive boat have told investigators they weren’t trained on emergency procedures before a fire broke out last year and killed 34 people. Federal documents released Wednesday say the cause of the predawn blaze aboard the Conception remains undetermined. One crew member told investigators he saw sparks flash when he plugged in his cellphone hours...