Smoke and flames engulfed the tourist cruise boat off the coast of New Zealand.
Sixty people were forced to jump into the sea during a tourist boat fire a half-mile off the coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
The vessel’s engine room reportedly caught fire when the craft was returning from a trip to White Island — an active volcano popular with tourists some 31 miles off New Zealand’s coast — and nearing its port in the town of Whakatane.
All 53 passengers and seven crew who abandoned ship were rescued and brought safely to shore as the boat burned and then sank. Two people from the ill-fated trip were reportedly taken to hospital for treatment for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.
Local police described the incident in a statement: “The blaze took hold of the vessel forcing those on board to jump into the water. A coastguard boat and a number of small local vessels went out to assist in recovering passengers and crew from the water. A helicopter carried out a sweep of the water to confirm everyone had been rescued. The passenger manifest has been checked against those rescued from the water and everyone is accounted for.”
Related links:
Trawlermen rescued from boat fire off Aberdeenshire coast