Fire breaks out on boat moored near Palm Jumeirah

While Civil Defence said no-one was injured in the blaze, witnesses near the scene reported that a badly burned Indian man was airlifted to Rashid Hospital by police helicopter.

A helicopter airlifted a man to hospital this morning following a boat fire near the Palm Jumeirah.

DUBAI // A leisure boat's captain was airlifted to Rashid Hospital this morning after his  boat caught fire in the Mina Siyahi marina.

The man, an Indian employee of Nautica 1992 water sports company, sustained burns to his hands, legs and face, witnesses said.

"It looked like third degree burns – all over his face, hands and feet," a witness said.

The eight-seater boat was moored off Mina Siyahi Beach when a suspected electrical fire broke out around 10am. The man reportedly stayed aboard the boat, trying to battle the flames and jumped off into the water when the blaze became uncontrollable.

The fire was extinguished in less than 30 minutes, said Major Ali Al Maotawa, the operations director for Dubai Civil Defence.

The Dubai Police Helicopter airlifted the man to safety.

A spokesman for Rashid Hospital confirmed a man of Indian nationality was being treated at the hospital related to the boat "explosion".

He is in a critical condition and is being closely monitored. The spokesman described his injuries as "a serious burn case" and said the man was being treated in a resuscitation room but was expected to recover.

Nautica 1992 owns two cruise boats - including the one burnt this morning - and hires them out for fishing, cruises and parasailing.