16 June 2024 , 12:38
890
0
A British couple have been injured in a boat explosion in Majorca.
They were rushed to hospital with second-degree burns following the incident today in the Port of Palma.
The 44-year-old man and 30-year-old woman were said to have been handling the engine of a Zodiac-type semi-rigid boat when the blast occurred and sent them flying into the water. Another vessel alongside it also ended up catching fire as a result. As well as burns to their face and arms, the injured pair also suffered less serious burns to other parts of their body.
Footage from the scene showed a plume of black smoke rising into the air which was visible from several miles away. Police and other emergency responders including firefighters and paramedics raced to the scene after a series of 999 calls alerting the authorities to the incident just after midday. The fire was extinguished quickly but both vessels affected ended up sinking.
Both Brits were rushed to hospital (MGE/SOLARPIX.COM)
The plume of black smoke could be seen for miles (MGE/SOLARPIX.COM)The hospital the Brits have been taken to have not been named but it is understood to be a private clinic. On Tuesday a British holidaymaker was among three people injured when a boat exploded in a pleasure port in Cabo Roig near Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca.
Best family friendly hotels in Majorca - and they have great TripAdvisor reviews
The 37-year-old was rushed to Torrevieja Hospital along with a 31-year-old Lithuanian woman after suffering facial burns. A third person, a Spanish man aged 34, was airlifted to a hospital in Valencia after suffering severe burn injuries.
Police described the incident as an accident afterwards but said they were still investigating. Footage showed concerned Good Samaritans rushing towards the spot where the explosion occurred after seeing a ball of flames rise into the air.
The unnamed Spanish man, the most seriously injured of the three casualties, was described locally as a workman who was cleaning the vessel. He suffered serious burns to the bottom half of his body.
The possibility the explosion was caused by a fuel spill or engine failure are believed to be among the theories being probed. Firefighters were mobilised but the blaze the explosion caused had been extinguished by the time they arrived.
The British man is believed to have been a customer of a rental firm that was chartering the boat damaged. The vessel involved in the latest incident, which will also be the subject of a full investigation, was also a rental boat.