Final victim of California boat fire recovered

The final victim from a California boat fire last week has been recovered, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s office announced Wednesday. 

The body is the last of the 34 victims killed on the boat that caught on fire near Santa Cruz Island on Sept. 2. 

“The Conception Incident Unified Command is relieved to report that search and recovery efforts today were successful in locating the last missing victim. DNA testing is still being conducted to confirm identities of 7 of the 34 victims recovered,” the sheriff’s office tweeted Wednesday.

The Conception Incident Unified Command is relieved to report that search and recovery efforts today were successful in locating the last missing victim. DNA testing is still being conducted to confirm identities of 7 of the 34 victims recovered.#conception

— SB Sheriff’s Office (@sbsheriff) September 11, 2019

The 75-foot boat caught on fire as it was docked between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Five crew members were able to evacuate before officials arrived on scene.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Los Angeles and local authorities had been searching for the bodies. Four were found hours after officials responded to the scene. {mosads}

Authorities said 21 women and 12 men between 16 and 62 years old appeared to have died from smoke inhalation, The Associated Press reports.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, according to the AP which reports an investigation is expected to take at least a year.