Thirty people have been rescued from an amphibious tourist vessel that caught fire on the River Thames in London, forcing the terrified passengers to dive into the water to escape the flames.
Around 15 passengers, including children as young as six, were helped by passing tourist boats near the Houses of Parliament, the London Fire Brigade said on Sunday.
"They are shaken up, but not injured," a spokesman said.
A woman and a child were taken to hospital after inhaling smoke, as well as a man with a minor head injury.
The London Duck Tours amphibious vessel was badly damaged by the fire.
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London Fire Brigade group manager Neil Withers said: "A number of people jumped into the water but they were soon rescued, and fortunately at this stage it doesn't look like anyone's been seriously injured."
An operating licence for similar amphibious vehicles in Liverpool, northwest England, was revoked last month after two vessels sank in the city's Albert Dock while carrying tourists.
A number of tourists were rescued during the sinkings in March and June.
Most of those on board were visitors to the UK, with many from Holland and others believed to have come from Sweden and Brazil.
Londoner Elissa Wood was on the tour with her parents, who were visiting from Australia, when the fire broke out at the front of the vessel.
Speaking at the scene, she said she noticed smoke billowing from the boat as they travelled past Westminster.
"We saw the tour guide and the captain look at each other like 'this is a real problem' and then they encouraged us to put life jackets on and jump off," she said.
"It was really hot. The flames were really hot and it was confusing.
"We weren't sure what was happening so it was scary."
