Boat explosion injures six, including three children, at Lake of the Ozarks

A mechanical problem caused a fuel-related fire, authorities say

A boat explosion at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri has injured six people, including two young children and a teenager, authorities have said.

Officials reported that six passengers were rushed to hospital and all had varying degrees of injuries following the incident on Tuesday.

At around 1.40pm the group, originally from two different areas in Nebraska, were aboard a 26-foot Sea Ray Sundeck boat in Osage Arm, Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

James Hohenstein, 47, the driver; Kari Hohenstein, 46; and Brad Vanwinkle, 39, were taken to hospital alongside three minors aged 16, 12 and two.

All passengers aside from the two-year-old suffered “serious injuries” as a result of the explosion. The two-year-old was said to have sustained “minor” injuries.

No other details regarding the conditions of the victims were immediately available.

Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a report that a “mechanical problem caused a fuel-related fire”.

The Lake of the Ozarks is a popular summer vacation spot in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri.