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| Duck boat passengers rescued after fire on river Thames | Duck boat passengers rescued after fire on river Thames |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Thirty people have been rescued after an amphibious bus caught fire on the river Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament in central London. | Thirty people have been rescued after an amphibious bus caught fire on the river Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament in central London. |
| Firefighters were alerted to the blaze on a London Duck just before midday on Sunday and a fire boat was dispatched. Many of the 28 passengers on board the vehicle jumped into the Thames to escape the flames and were rescued by police, the fire brigade and a passing boat. | Firefighters were alerted to the blaze on a London Duck just before midday on Sunday and a fire boat was dispatched. Many of the 28 passengers on board the vehicle jumped into the Thames to escape the flames and were rescued by police, the fire brigade and a passing boat. |
| A spokesman for the Metropolitan police said all the passengers and both crew members had been accounted for, while the London Ambulance Service said seven people were being treated for smoke inhalation and that one woman had been taken to hospital with minor injuries. In a tweet, it added that most of those being treated at the scene were wet and cold after spending 10 minutes in the water. | |
| A spokeswoman for the London Fire Brigade said: "We were called at 11.55. One boat was 30% damaged by fire and approximately 30 people were rescued by a passing tourist boat. They were removed to Lambeth pontoon and everyone is accounted for." | |
| She added that the fire had been extinguished by the fire boat. | She added that the fire had been extinguished by the fire boat. |
| London Duck Tours could not be reached for comment, but a statement on its website stresses the company's commitment to safety. | |
| It reads: "Our Ducks have been modified to meet stringent safety regulations set by road and river authorities. Each vehicle seats 30 passengers, has a public address system and is fitted with full and comprehensive safety equipment." | |
| Sunday's fire is not the first incident involving the amphibious craft. In March this year, the entire Yellow Duckmarine fleet – which operates tours of Liverpool – was ordered out of the water after a bus sank with no passengers on board. | |
| Three months later, 28 Duckmarine passengers were rescued by police, ambulances, coastguards and the RAF after a vessel sank in Albert Dock. Seventeen of them were taken to the Royal Liverpool hospital for treatment, but were later discharged. | |
| In May, the Queen and Prince Philip travelled on one of the buses when they visited the region as part of the diamond jubilee tour. | |
| In June, the Liverpool Echo reported that the company behind the Yellow Duckmarine tours, Pearlwild Ltd, had had its licence to run them on roads revoked. In a statement on its website, the company says it "is unable to run tours at present". | |
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