Qld catamaran burns, 46 rescued

Water police are helping co-ordinate the rescue of 46 people from a burning catamaran off the Queensland coast.

Almost 50 people have been rescued from a catamaran that caught fire off central Queensland.

The 23-metre commercial vessel got into trouble near Lady Musgrave Island just before 4pm on Wednesday when a fire broke out somewhere near the engine, a police spokeswoman said.

The 46 passengers had all been transferred into rafts by 4.30pm and there were no reports of injuries.