London pleasure boat catches fire, crashes into pier

A pleasure boat in London with 151 people on board caught fire and careered into a pier on the river Thames, officials said on Monday.

The London fire brigade was called at about 3.45 p.m. on Sunday to reports of a fire on the white triple-decker boat Erasmus, which crashed into pilings near Canary Wharf pier, the Guardian reported.

Footage posted online by passersbys appeared to show smoke billowing from the back of the 300-tonne passenger vessel as it veered across the river before crashing into the bank.

A small fire broke out in the engine room, and was extinguished with a powder extinguisher before fire crews arrived, the fire service said.

Six crew and 142 passengers were evacuated, while three crew remained on board, the Guardian reported.

Transport for London's river branch tweeted that its services were affected by the incident.