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SEMPORNA:  Several people are believed to have been injured when a suspected illegal tourist boat caught fire in waters off Manampilik Island, near here (pic).

Daily Express could not immediately establish how many people were injured and the time of the incident, but believed they might have sustained burns to their feet when the fibre optic boat caught fire while en route to Mabul Island from Sibuan Island.

A video clip showing the mishap went viral on social media.

The video lasting a minute and a second showed attempts by purported tour employees trying to put out the fire in the engine section, while passengers were being moved to another boat.

Semporna District Police Chief Supt. Peter Umbuas, when contacted, said police did not receive any report on the incident.

District Officer Bianus Kontong declined comment pending an investigation.

The Semporna Fire and Rescue Department and marine police also did not receive any report.

Semporna Tourism Association Chairperson Jamilah Ang said the incident was said to have occurred at about 1pm on Monday, possibly involving tourists from Peninsular Malaysia.

However, the number of tourists and the identity of the operators of the burnt and rescue boats, the latter believed to be another tourist boat, could not be ascertained as the passengers had rushed back to Kuala Lumpur.

According to Jamilah, there was no loss of life as the video received from a WhatsApp group showed only injuries.

Jamilah hoped tourists will act wisely by selecting tour operators who have a valid licence issued by the tourism authority.