Passengers jumped overboard after a boat became engulfed in in flames after it exploded on the river Thames.

Eight people were rescued in the water by a private boat as the 20-foot river cruiser was completely destroyed by the blaze.

The boat blew up near Twickenham in south west London at around 3.15pm on Saturday.

The Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service  were involved in dealing with the incident. One person was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Musician Rhydian Roberts, who finished second in X-Factor in 2004, witnessed the dramatic events.

He wrote on Twitter: “Just watched a boat blow up on the Thames near Twickenham.

“Happened so fast. Some minor injuries but all on board are now safe! I look this pic after a while. Unbelievable how quickly it went. Dramatic here.” 

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called at 3.16pm on September 21 to Orleans Road, Twickenham, to reports of a fire on a boat on the River Thames.

“We dispatched a number of resources to the scene including two incident response officers, an advanced paramedic and our hazardous area response team (HART).

“We assessed three people with minor injuries and took one to hospital.”