A 16-year-old British schoolgirl who died on a family holiday in the Caribbean was killed in a boat explosion that left 24 others injured, according to reports.

Abbie Lainton was enjoying a summer break in the Dominic Republican with her parents and siblings when the “terrible accident” occurred.

The family was on an excursion in the waters around Saona Island when tragedy struck, The Sun reports*. *

“It was an accident at sea and was very tragic,” an official in the Dominican Republic told the newspaper. “The young lady and her injured siblings were moved immediately to the hospital in the city of La Romana, but sadly she did not survive.

“Despite the best efforts of medical staff, she did not make it. Her injured siblings are continuing to be looked after in the hospital.”

Authorities said that of the 24 injured, 11 were taken to hospital to be treated for burns. Abbie’s two siblings were also badly injured in the incident, according to a GoFundMe set up in her memory.

Unconfirmed footage shared on social media claiming to be from the time of the incident and the location off Saona Island show a vessel in flames with smoke pouring out.

Dominican tourist website Inmobiliario said the emergency operations centre (COE), the directorate of out-of-hospital emergency services (DAEH), the Dominican Republic navy and the tourist police (Politur) “activated their protocols within minutes of the explosion, coordinating the rescue and transfer of those affected” in a report shortly after the incident on 28 July. The matter is currently under investigation.

Tourists Gisell Segovia and her husband Navin Torres were on the boat when the incident took place, telling The Sun it “smelled like gasoline” and was “over-packed”. They said they heard a “pop” sound as the boat sped up in a bid to keep up with other vessels.

“The front of the boat exploded,” Mr Torres told the newspaper. “It took me a couple of seconds to analyse what was going on the fire started spreading towards me and my wife.”

The couple described the panic and chaos of the scene as flames and bits of debris blew up around them. They said passengers jumped into the surrounding waters to protect themselves before being rescued by other boats.

The pair said they were treated for first degree burns while Mr Torres also received stitches after being struck by debris.

“The three Puerto Rican girls, one of them had a broken foot,” said Gisell. “There was these other two men from New York, one of them has spinal injuries and he doesn’t know if he’s paralyzed. His friend has a broken foot.”

An Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson told The Independent: “Our thoughts are with the Lainton family during this difficult time.

“We are providing consular support to the family and assisting other British nationals and their families affected by the incident. We are in contact with the local authorities.”

Tributes have poured in for Abbie, who was awaiting her GCSE results when she was killed.

“Abbie had her whole life ahead of her,” read the GoFundMe page, which has now raised more than £21,000. “She should have been enjoying the summer with her friends and looking forward to receiving her GCSE results. She was so loved by her family, friends and everyone who knew her.”