A boat exploded in the port of Saint-Pierre, in Hyères (Var), on Saturday around noon.
Three people were present in the speedboat of about ten meters at the time of the accident, reports France 3 Provence Alpes Côte-d'Azur.
A 49-year-old woman was evacuated to the Toulon hospital center in a state of absolute emergency.
She sustained severe burns to her upper limbs after falling in the engine compartment.
Her husband, 49, and daughter, 14, were not injured.
The teenager jumped into the water when the explosion occurred.
A port worker, hit by the blast, was also transferred to the hospital.
Impressive explosion in the port of Hyères 💥🔥😰 pic.twitter.com/HT4BFGGdcV
- ⭐️ Isa de Monaco ⭐️ (@isa_de_monaco) August 28, 2021
A build-up of gasoline vapor
About thirty firefighters, aided by firefighting equipment, were mobilized on site, specifies France Bleu Provence.
The boat was towed out to sea so that the flames did not reach other boats.
The speedboat sank in the afternoon, but no pollution was reported according to Sdis 83.
An investigation has been opened.
Captain Olivier Pécot told
France 3
that the incident could be due to "an accumulation of gasoline vapor in the hold of the boat".
It would have caught fire "when restarting", which remains "very rare", assures the firefighter.
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