Dramatic footage of 18m Princess in flames off Isle of Wight

Two people have been rescued from an 18m Princess motor cruiser named Peroni, which went up in flames off the Isle of Wight on the UK’s south coast.

Images taken by the RNLI capture the devastation during the blaze, which broke out on 11 November.

The crew had taken to a small tender that they carried onboard; a fishing vessel in the area stood by until the arrival of RNLB Alfred Albert Williams (Tamar All-Weather Lifeboat 16-17).

The two uninjured casualties were taken to the lifeboat station, and the tender was towed to Bembridge Harbour. The motor cruiser had sunk by the time the RNLI left the scene.

Sandown & Shanklin Inshore Rescue and the Coastguard helicopter Rescue 175 were also tasked as support assets.

One eye witness described the event as ‘ferocious’, reports the County Press. The island resident, who was watching through binoculars, described a “big ball of flames” before watching the boat disappear under the water.

All rescue vessels and the Coastguard helicopter left the scene after the vessel sank.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said: “Those on board the vessel were all accounted for and safe.”

Sandown and Shanklin Independent Lifeboat said its crew stayed with the craft as it drifted to monitor the fire and debris.

All images courtesy of Bembridge RNLI crew