Twenty-eight people were rescued after a fire started on an amphibious bus, called a duck boat, on the River Thames while opposite the Houses of Parliament in central London, according to the Guardian.
Firefighters became aware of the problem just before noon on Sunday, and a fireboat was immediately dispatched to address the emergency. Many passengers jumped into the river to escape the fire. Police, the fire brigade and a passing boat rescued those passengers.
All the passengers as well as both crewmembers had been accounted for, according to a spokesman for the Metropolitan police. The London ambulance service said that seven people were being treated for smoke inhalation, and another woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The hospital added that most passengers that were being treated at the scene of the fire were wet and cold after spending 10 minutes in the water.
"We were called at 11:55 a.m.," a spokeswoman for the London fire brigade said. "One boat was 30 percent 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," the spokeswoman continued. She also stated that the fire had been extinguished by the fireboat.
"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," the spokeswoman added. "People are clearly cold, wet and in shock but they were pulled from the water really quickly and that's testament to the work of our firefighters, other emergency rescue teams and others who rushed to the scene to help."
The company wasn't able to say whether they would be suspending its boat trips, according to a spokesman for the London Duck Tours.
"Our Ducks have been modified to meet stringent safety regulations set by road and river authorities," read a statement on the company's website. "Each vehicle seats 30 passengers, has a public address system and is fitted with full and comprehensive safety equipment."
News coverage of the Duck boat fire.
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