A boat exploded on a canal near the Maryland-Delaware border, injuring nine people and setting off a large emergency response along the waterway. The blast left several of those on board badly hurt and turned an ordinary outing on the water into the scene of a serious incident that has now drawn the attention of investigators.
According to police, the explosion happened soon after the boat had fueled up at a marina in Chesapeake City, Maryland. The fact that the blast followed so closely after refueling is one of the key details in the case, and it is likely to be a central focus for investigators trying to work out exactly what went wrong.
In total, nine people were injured in the explosion. Four of them suffered serious burns, the most severe of the injuries reported so far. The scale of the harm pointed to the force of the blast and the danger faced by those who had been aboard the vessel when it caught fire and exploded.
The response reflected the seriousness of the situation. The four people with serious burns were flown to hospitals by helicopter, a step taken to get the most badly hurt to specialist care as quickly as possible. Emergency crews worked at the scene to help the injured and secure the area around the damaged boat.
The cause of the explosion is now being investigated. Authorities have not yet said publicly what triggered the blast, and the inquiry is expected to examine the refueling that took place shortly beforehand as well as the condition of the boat, as officials try to reconstruct the sequence of events on the canal.
The incident unfolded on a canal near the Maryland-Delaware border, in an area used by boaters. Chesapeake City, where the marina involved is located, sits along the waterway, and the marina had been the boat's last stop before the explosion occurred a short time later, leaving the community to absorb the shock of the events.