An explosion on a houseboat at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Utah claimed the life of a Colorado woman and sent four others with critical injuries to hospitals in Salt Lake City and Grand Junction, Colorado, according to the park staff. 

While the cause of the explosion was under investigation, others on the houseboat said people were trying to start the houseboat generator when it exploded, a park release said. There reportedly were 20 other people in the group.

The accident happened about 10 p.m. Wednesday on a privately owned houseboat anchored on shore in Crystal Springs Canyon. The canyon, on Lake Powell, is two canyons north of Halls Crossing, near buoy marker 104, in San Juan County, Utah.

Killed by the blast was 52-year-old Kirsten Meyer, of Castle Rock, Colorado. A young boy sustained minor injuries and was transported by boat to the Bullfrog Clinic for treatment and was released. Four other people, however, sustained critical injuries and were taken by air to Salt Lake City and Grand Junction. The critical injuries included burns, broken bones, and facial injuries, the release said.

The San Juan County Medical Examiner was conducting the investigation of the death, while the woman's body was taken to the Salt Lake City Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and the National Park Service were investigating the explosion.