Boat Explosion Injures Eight

A 24-foot power boat exploded Saturday in Huntington Beach, injuring eight people, sheriff's officials said.

The blast on the 2003 Monterey happened just before noon at Sunset Beach Harbor, Sgt. Jeff Foster of the Orange County Sheriff's Harbor Patrol said.

``The owner launched the boat from the public deck and he smelled gas,''
Foster said. ``They weren't that far out yet and he went and opened the engine hatch and saw gas had spilled.''

Foster said the boat owner turned off the engine and seconds later the vessel exploded. There were nine people on board, from ages 14 to 60, Foster said.

``Four people were blown into the water and five were still on the boat,'' Foster said.

A passerby radioed for help, and rescuers were on the scene within minutes, he said.

``We pulled four people from the water and the passerby got the five from the boat,'' Foster said.

Eight people were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from contusions and scratches to broken bones, he said.

``Some (victims) were released and some are still in surgery,'' Foster said.

The fire on the boat was extinguished and measures were taken to prevent
the spread of hazardous materials, but the wreckage remains in the water as officials work to retrieve it, Foster said.

-City News Service