Up to 65 passengers injured as Bangkok water taxi bursts into flames

Up to 65 passengers have been injured in Thailand's capital Bangkok after the engine on a water taxi burst into flames as it pulled into a pier. Among the injured were three foreign nationals including a Japanese male and two women from Myanmar, according to the city's Erawan Medical Emergency Center.

The rest of the passengers have been identified as Thai nationals who were making their way into the city on the boat that was reported to be ferrying as many as 70 people through the city's canals, according to local police chief Lt. Col. Chaithanan Jirapiyaset.

The officer said that the explosion happened as the boat reached the Wat Thepleela Pier, in a working-class neighbourhood of Bangkok, causing an incident that prompted many of the passengers to jump into the water to avoid the blast. The Erawan Center said that at least 60 people were treated for injuries at a number of the city's hospitals, however, there have been no reports of fatalities.

Video of the incident has been obtained by the Khao Sod newspaper and shows the boat pulling into the pier with clouds of black smoke billowing from the rear. The boat is one of several that transport workers and tourists into the capital city.

The vessels are often old and overcrowded but accidents on the waterways are rare. Police said they were investigating the incident but had yet to come to any conclusions as to the cause of the explosion.