A speedboat carrying 36 tourists and crew erupted into a fiery explosion off the coast of Thailand.
At least six people have been in injured – with the captain among them – in the fire near Maiton Island, off Phuket Island, this morning.
The vessel, Tana Marine 555, was just 50 meters offshore when the blast ripped through it, turning it into a fireball.
Footage from the scene shows the flames raging, sending thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.
The force sent debris flying as flames rapidly consumed the boat, leaving people on board with mere seconds to react.
The tourists, mainly from Russia and Kazakhstan, were jumped into the water, swimming for their lives. They were later rescued by a passing boat.
Nachapong Pranit, director of the Phuket Marine Office, said a rescue team was deployed after receiving a report at 9:20 am.
The Phuket Information Centre said: ‘The fire spread rapidly. There were 36 crew members and tourists on board.
‘Everyone was able to get off the boat in time. However, there were minor injuries from the incident.’
A report said three tourists were injured along with the captain, a guide and the boat’s mechanic.
Later reports said that two were injured with burns and were taken to a waiting ambulance and transferred to hospital.
One report said the vessel had made a swimming stop when the engine exploded and ignited – but for this the casualties would have been far higher. Authorities are yet to comment on what happened.
‘The fire was caused by an engine malfunction,’ it said
‘While rescue services were getting to the site, the boat washed up on the shore, where it completely burned out.’
This is the latest disaster involving a vessel in the last week after a tourist submarine with 45 Russian citizens on board sank off the coast of Egypt.
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