JUST BEFORE NOON on Saturday a boat 'exploded' on the Thames injuring nine people.
Burst into flames
The boat first burst into flames and then 'exploded' eye witnesses tell with the emergency services soon at the scene, but the blaze quickly enveloped the glass fibre structure with the remains seen in the photograph by Wiltshire 999s.
Witnesses reported hearing a 'loud bang' followed by plumes of smoke engulfing the boat.
The nine people injured included a baby who was admitted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, with one person having to be air-lifted to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, while two people taken are understood to have been discharged, but Wiltshire Police confirmed nine people had sustained injuries and were rushed to hospital.
The severity of the injuries is not yet known.
Residential boat
The police stated the blaze was at a residential boat moored on the river at Lechlade.
The section of the river where the incident happened was closed and enquiries into the cause of the fire are ongoing.