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A TALENTED 22-year-old dancer critically injured in a tourist boat explosion does not yet know she has had both legs amputated, a relative said today.

Stefanie Schaffer is in a coma after the blast left another woman dead in the Bahamas early on Saturday morning.

Dancer Stefanie, above, lost both legs in the blast
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Dancer Stefanie, above, lost both legs in the blastCredit: Facebook

Stefanie's mother Stacey had one leg shattered by the explosion and suffered multiple broken bones and internal injuries, while her sister Brooke and stepfather Paul Bender escaped with scratches.

The family, from Rutland, Vermont, were among ten Americans and two Bahamians on board when the craft exploded off the coast of Exuma.

The mother and daughter remain in hospital in Nassau as Stefanie is not well enough to be flown back to the US.

A relative told the : "She's in really critical care right now and in really serious shape... I know she has really bad internal injuries."

People from a nearby boat rushed to help those caught up in the blast
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People from a nearby boat rushed to help those caught up in the blastCredit: Chris Topperwien
Stefanie, far left, with her sister Brooke and mother Stacey, who were also injured
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Stefanie, far left, with her sister Brooke and mother Stacey, who were also injuredCredit: GoFundMe
Smoke was seen billowing over the Bahamas after the explosion
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Smoke was seen billowing over the Bahamas after the explosionCredit: Chris Topperwien

"The scary thing is Stefanie doesn't know that she's lost her legs, and that's what really upsets me.

"She's going to wake up from this coma and realise, I don't have any legs. It's breaking my heart."

A has been launched to help cover the family's medical expenses.

Four other injured Americans were airlifted the US Coast Guard to a hospital in St Petersburg, Florida,.

The dead woman was named in the US as Maleka Jackson, 39, of Dunwoody, Georgia.

She was on a 15th wedding anniversary trip with her husband Tyran, who reportedly suffered burns.

According to a relative, Stefanie doesn't know she has lost her legs
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According to a relative, Stefanie doesn't know she has lost her legsCredit: Facebook
Four other injured Americans from the boat blast were airlifted to a hospital in St Petersburg, Florida by the US Coast Guard
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Four other injured Americans from the boat blast were airlifted to a hospital in St Petersburg, Florida by the US Coast GuardCredit: United States Coast Guard

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Billowing smoke filled the sky following the boat blast on Saturday morning.

In one video posted on Instagram, several people can be seen rushing to help from a nearby boat as other panicked tourists plead for the stricken vessel to be moved.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation by the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

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