The explosion of a boat in the Bahamas makes 1 American tourist dead, 9 others wounded

Authorities are trying to determine what caused a boat explosion in the Bahamas that caused the death of an American tourist and nine other wounded. Four Americans who survived the incident were transported to Tampa, Florida, for treatment.

The blast tore the boat carrying 10 US tourists Saturday, shortly after leaving the island of Exuma. The explosion blew a column of black smoke into the blue sky of the Bahamas.

As the ship was engulfed by the flames, panicked passengers on another boat asked their captain to retreat. Others jumped into the water and swam to the burning ship, bringing the wounded on board. this man seemed to bleed from the back of his head

A local lawmaker told CBS News that 12 people were on the disabled ship on Saturday morning: 10 US passengers and 2 Bahamian crew members. Some were seen carried on land on improvised stretchers. /hub/i/r/2018/07/02/343f0264-9ccd-46c0-963f-08ffc4b617c0/resize/620x/fad8f6ebe6963e7089f1c270c989e724/screen-shot-2018-07-02-at-12-54-21-pm.png 1x "/>

Christian Topperwien, a German TV host, said that he had helped in the rescue.

"We had to transport them with wooden panels from the boat to the ground and then on board a pickup truck, helicopter or ambulance, but there was nothing there," he said. in a video recording.

The United States Coast Guard flew four survivors to Florida. Five remained in the Bahamas and were transported more than 100 miles to the capital's Nassau hospital, where a passenger was amputated from his legs, a relative of the family reported.

Topperwien said the boats were taking vacationers to see the famous Bahamas swimmers. He said that he and his wife would have been on the destroyed ship if they had not taken a longer ride at the last minute.

Officials from the country's police, fire and civil aviation departments conduct an investigation into the blast, Shanta Knowles, police superintendent for the Royal Bahamas Police Force, said in a statement. Associated Press

Michelle Miller contributed to this report.