A British teenager died from severe burns after a tourist boat carrying 35 people exploded off the coast of the Dominican Republic on July 27. Abbie Lainton, 16, from Swindon, Wiltshire, was on a family holiday when the vessel, returning from Saona Island to Bayahibe, caught fire.
Witnesses have described the boat as being overcrowded and smelling strongly of gasoline, with some tourists expressing concerns about safety. Gisell Segovia, 22, and her husband Navin Torres, 35, who were also on the trip, reported smelling gasoline and feeling the boat was overpacked. They stated that despite their concerns, staff assured them the boat was safe.
"We told the captain it smelled like gasoline and he was like, 'Oh, no, no, it’s fine,'" Segovia told The Sun. "And it was a lot of people. I feel like they overpacked us."
Torres recounted that passengers heard a loud 'pop' shortly before the boat accelerated, possibly to keep up with other vessels, and then exploded into flames. He described debris flying everywhere as the fire spread. Abbie Lainton sustained burns to 60% of her body and died in the hospital three days later. Her siblings, Carley and Bradley, were among more than 20 other tourists who were injured in the incident.
Abbie Lainton was a cheerleading coach at the Swindon Lightning Cheerleading Club and a former student at Tanwood School for Performing Arts. Her family has been offered consular support by the Foreign Office. A GoFundMe page established to support her family has raised over £21,000.
Locals in Swindon expressed shock at the news, describing the Lainton family as well-known and nice. One neighbor reported that Abbie's siblings sustained injuries, including a broken leg and some burns, but are now back in the UK.
Reports indicated that 24 people were hospitalized with injuries, many of whom suffered burns. Eyewitnesses saw other boats assisting in the rescue efforts. Local news commentary highlighted that such incidents have occurred previously in the country, questioning the authorization, maintenance, and supervision of tourist vessels by authorities.