Five Kansas City residents suffered injuries in an explosion on a boat on a lake in Morgan County on Saturday.
According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the explosion reportedly occurred as 71-year-old Robert Baber started the vessel just after it was finished being filled with fuel, creating an explosion due to a lack of ventilation and a mechanical failure. One of the passengers was ejected off the 1993 Chris Craft vessel.
A passenger- 42-year-old Carl Harris- reportedly was flown by Life Flight helicopter to University Hospital in Columbia for treatment of serious injuries. The driver and passengers- 39-year-old Patrick Baber, 48-year-old Cynthia Sterling and a 6-year-old girl- reportedly were transported by Camden County and Lake West ambulances to Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach for treatment of moderate injuries. Reportedly, the child was the only person on the vessel wearing a safety device.
The explosion happened just before 2:20 p.m. at the Millstone Marina gas dock on the Lake of the Ozarks.