A 16-year-old girl from Swindon has died following a reported boat explosion while on a family holiday in the Dominican Republic. Abbie Lainton died on July 30 following what her family’s supporters have described as a “terrible accident”. 
The incident is understood to have happened aboard a boat off the coast of Bayahíbe, a popular tourist destination in the east of the Caribbean country. Reports suggest the vessel caught fire with dozens of tourists on board, although the precise circumstances surrounding the incident have not yet been formally confirmed. 
Abbie’s brother and sister are also understood to have suffered serious injuries in the incident. A fundraiser has since been established to support Abbie’s family following her death. Organiser Becky Jamieson said Abbie’s parents, Becky and Gary, had lost their “beautiful 16-year-old daughter”, while Carley and Bradley had also been badly injured. She said Abbie should have been spending the summer with her friends and looking forward to receiving her GCSE results, adding that the teenager was loved by her family, friends and everyone who knew her.
School pays tribute to ‘bright light’
Abbie was a Year 11 pupil at The Ridgeway School, where staff have paid tribute following news of her death. Headteacher Helen Buttery informed parents of the tragedy in a letter, describing Abbie as “much loved” by both staff and students and a “bright light” within the school’s Year 11 community. The school said its thoughts were with Abbie’s family at an extraordinarily difficult time. The tragedy comes just weeks before Abbie would have received her GCSE results. Further information about the circumstances of the incident in the Dominican Republic is awaited. SEO title: Swindon girl, 16, dies after reported boat explosion in Dominican Republic Meta description: Swindon teenager Abbie Lainton, 16, has died following a reported boat explosion while on holiday with her family in the Dominican Republic. Google News headline: Tributes to Swindon schoolgirl, 16, killed in Dominican Republic boat tragedy
