Manslaughter charges for captain of scuba diving boat in California fire tragedy

The dive boat Conception is engulfed in flames after a deadly fire broke out aboard the commercial scuba diving vessel off the Southern California Coast (Santa Barbara County Fire Department/AP)

The captain of a scuba diving boat that caught fire and sank off the coast of California last year, killing 34 people who were trapped below deck, was indicted on US federal manslaughter charges for one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent US history.

Jerry Boylan, 67, was charged with 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter for “misconduct, negligence and inattention” by failing to train his crew, conduct fire drills and have a roving night watchman on the Conception when fire broke out September 2 2019, the indictment said.