Family with two children rescued from burning boat off Hvar

A family with two children was rescued from a burning boat off the coast of Hvar, Croatia, on Friday. The alarm was raised by witnesses who reported the fire at 11:52 a.m. to the National Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center in Rijeka.

Authorities, including the Split Port Authority and maritime police, were immediately notified. The MRCC confirmed with the caller that the four individuals on board had been safely transferred to a nearby vessel. A police boat then transported them to the mainland.

Firefighters from the Hvar voluntary fire department boarded a rescue boat and arrived at the scene around 200 meters from Cape Pelegrin. They found the approximately ten-meter-long boat engulfed in flames and quickly brought the fire under control. The vessel, flying a Croatian flag, was found to have approximately 700 liters of fuel remaining, but no signs of marine pollution were reported.

The damaged boat was towed to Križna Luka in Hvar, where further investigation will take place to determine the exact cause of the incident. The incident occurred on July 31st.