Dramatic moment tourist boat bursts into flames with 92 on board – forcing screaming visitors to frantically leap into the sea

Dramatic footage shows a blaze raging on a boat with 92 people on board, which forced the terrified tourists to jump into the sea.  

The fire on the catamaran was reportedly caused by a short circuit in one of its engines and spread quickly throughout the boat sailing off Santa Marta in Colombia on March 3.

The 89 tourists and three crew members on board were forced to evacuate and were filmed leaping over the railing while the boat was engulfed in flames.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing into the sky in footage filmed from another boat as the passengers frantically swam away from the burning vessel.

‘They told us to stay calm, but when we saw the smoke and the fire, panic took hold of everyone,’ one of the passengers, Carlos Gutierrez, said.

‘We were only thinking about saving ourselves. There were people who were injured when they jumped into the water or tried to swim to the rescue boats.’

Carla Mendez, a tourist from Bogota, said: ‘It was terrifying. We heard screams and saw people jumping into the water.’

Maritime authorities soon arrived on the scene to deal with the blaze and rescuers picked up all tourists and crew members from the sea.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing into the sky in footage filmed from another boat as the passengers frantically swam away from the burning vessel

The 89 tourists and three crew members on board were forced to evacuate and were filmed leaping over the railing

A spokesperson for the General Maritime Directorate said: ‘The vessel was on a tourist trip when it reported the fire in the propulsion machinery so emergency protocols were immediately activated.’

The victims were brought back to the Marine Life Centre in Santa Marta in northern Colombia.

Port captain Cesar Grisales said: ‘The passengers were transferred to the dock where they received medical checks.’

No serious injuries were reported. An investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway.

The vessel, named Katamaran Tayrona, is owned by the company Taximarino.

One day before the blaze, on March 2, a different tourist boat sank in the nearby Rosario Islands.

Forty holidaymakers and three crew members were stranded in the sea after the vessel capsized and sank near the Rosario Islands

This handout picture released by Colombia’s Navy press office shows members of the Colombian Coast Guard rescuing tourists after a maritime accident near Cartagena, Colombia on March 2, 2025

Forty holidaymakers and three crew members were stranded in the sea after the vessel capsized and sank.

The Colombian Navy, through its Coast Guard units in Cartagena, responded to the emergency. They were also accompanied by several civilian vessels in the area.

No fatalities or missing persons were reported.