Ballet dancer loses legs in Bahamas tour boat explosion

A ballet dancer prepares to take part in a classic dance exhibition in the Spanish Basque city of San Sebastian on April 21, 2018. AFP

RUTLAND, Vermont, United States — A woman who used to be an avid ballet dancer suffered serious injuries in a deadly Bahamas tour boat explosion and had her lower legs amputated.

Stephanie Schaffer, a 22-year-old student at Castleton University, was among nine people injured when the boat exploded Saturday, killing a U.S. citizen.

Schaffer also suffered broken arms, a fractured spine and internal injuries, The Rutland Herald reported. Her mother suffered a fractured lower right leg, a shattered left ankle, a fractured wrist and broken ribs.

Relatives and friends were trying to help the family through an online fundraising campaign that had raised $105,000 by Tuesday.

“Thank you to all of you who have followed and supported, the family is deeply humbled by all the love,” said a post on the page.

Authorities in the Bahamas are working to determine what caused the fire minutes into a day trip around the small islands near Great Exuma.

The U.S. Coast Guard airlifted four Americans to Florida for treatment while six people were treated in Nassau. /cbb