Five British tourists rescued from burning boat and one wounded after it erupted in flames off Greek island

FIVE Brits were rescued from their burning motorboat after it burst into flames while sailing off the coast of Greece.

The vessel was around 250ft from the shore near Zante when it suddenly exploded into a fireball with the tourists trapped onboard.

The helpless holidaymakers were forced to dive into the water to escape the inferno as it engulfed their boat.

Shocking footage shows plumes of thick black smoke billowing into the sky as the wreckage continues to burn.

The crew were left frantically treading water as they watched the motorboat become consumed by the blaze.

Thankfully, a nearby boat spotted the Brits in distress and rushed over to help them make their way back to shore.

They dragged them on board and whisked them back to dry land to receive medical treatment in the wake of their fiery ordeal.

At least one of the passengers is said to have suffered burns when the boat became overcome by flames.

It is not yet clear what sparked the fire on the vessel in the holiday hotspot.

The terrifying incident comes just weeks after a huge blaze erupted on a tourist boat with 96 passengers onboard on a Greek island.

The Maggelanos ship was engulfed by a blaze off the coast of Rhodes, seeing Brits jump in the water to flee the flames.

Dad Shaun Williams, 55, told The Sun Online: "We heard the crew shouting and running up and down and going for the fire extinguishers.

"Then we saw the smoke coming out and they started handing out life jackets.

"We were at the top of the boat at the time so we couldn't see the fire but then the captain said 'everybody off.'

"So we had to jump because we couldn't go down the stairs because there were so many people there."

All passengers were rescued as five EKAV ambulances rushed to the area while Rhodes Hospital was placed on high alert.

A nine-year-old girl was taken to the hospital with minor burns and a 50-year-old woman suffered some minor injuries.