02 June 2025 , 20:12
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An 18-month old toddler has been left with ‘life-changing burns’ after a fire on a boat in the River Thames that injured nine people.
The boat exploded on the banks of the river in the town of Lechlade, on the edge of Wiltshire, on Saturday.
The toddler was airlifted to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children for urgent medical care, according to Wiltshire999s.
Eight others were taken to hospital in the aftermath of the blaze, with one airlifted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
Alongside the toddler, two other people are still in hospital in a stable condition.
One of the other people in hospital has also sustained ‘life-changing burns,’ according to police.
It is not yet known what caused the explosion which started the blaze.
Two air ambulances and six ambulances all rushed to the scene as part of a huge emergency response.
The smoke billowed from a boat on the River Thames outside Lechdale
Charred debris floating on the banks of the River Thames after the suspected explosion (Picture: Daniel Jae Webb / SWNS)
A number of fire engines were also dispatched to put out the fire.
Police have praised two passers-by from Wales who jumped into the water to save the lives of those who could not swim.
Smoke could be seen billowing out of a house boat on the Thames as fire crews worked on the river bank.
Gloucestershire Constabulary, Thames Valley Police, Wiltshire Police and the MOD Police, all attended the scene of the ‘explosion’.
Shocking images from the scene showed smoke billowing from a house boat on the banks of the river in the middle of the day.
A section of the river was closed as officers made enquiries into the incident.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire said: ‘We responded to a reported fire on a residential boat in the River Thames near Lechlade just before midday on Saturday.
‘Nine people sustained injuries and were transported to hospital.
‘A section of the river was closed and enquiries into the cause of the fire are ongoing.’
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