6 tourists hurt in Pangasinan boat fire

DAGUPAN CITY — Six tourists were injured on Easter Sunday when the motorboat taking them to the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP) in Alaminos City caught fire minutes after leaving the wharf at Barangay Lucap here.

Supt. Benjamin Ariola, Alaminos police chief, said the fire may have been ignited by gasoline that leaked from a container set beside the boat’s engine. The engine may have overheated, Ariola said.

The six tourists, whose identities were not immediately available, suffered burns. They were rescued by a passing motorboat and carried back to the wharf, where an ambulance took them to a hospital for treatment.

Seven other tourists in the beleaguered boat were unhurt, said Ariola.

The HINP, which is Pangasinan province’s leading tourist destination, was visited by thousands of tourists the during the Holy Week break. JE/rga