'All of us, my family and the neighbors, brought them towels and water,' Jandali said. Residents then offered them towels, socks and water to drink. He said passengers waded in waist-deep water before reaching land. Jandali said passengers had to leap about 12 feet (3 meters) and wade through somewhat shallow water. 'They didn't have much time to decide whether or not to jump,' said Bakr Jandali, 19, who was with his family at home nearby when they heard the commotion. But he knew something was wrong when smoke cut across the sunny Florida skies and he heard shouts and screams. 'It looked pretty dramatic because the shuttle boat burned really fast,' DeCanio told The Associated Press by phone.Īnother witness told the Tampa Bay Times the shuttle boat passes regularly by his family's home, carrying patrons to and from a casino ship offshore. But as the vessel turned back, flames kicked up and people began jumping overboard into shallow water, according to witness accounts. Port Richey Police Chief Gerard DeCanio said the shuttle boat experienced engine problems after leaving the dock at Port Richey, a suburban community about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Tampa. Sunday, quickly engulfing the boat close to shore near residential neighborhoods. The shuttle boat caught fire about 4 p.m. Port Richey police said 15 people were injured in the fire and it was originally believed that none of the injuries were life threatening. He said eight other passengers were treated at the hospital and released. Her name has not been released and a cause of death has not been determined. He said she had apparently gone home after the fire but became ill.

Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point spokesman Kurt Conover said Monday that the woman died late Sunday, shortly after she arrived at the hospital's emergency room at 10 p.m. (AP) - A female passenger has died hours after a casino boat caught fire off Florida's Gulf Coast, forcing her and about 50 other passengers and crew to jump into the chilly waters to escape.

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