Hurley yacht explosion leaves man in hospital

An explosion on a yacht in Hurley yesterday (Sunday) left a man needing hospital treatment.

Emergency services were called at about 2.50pm to Hurley Lock, in Mill Lane, following the blast on board the vessel, a 27-foot cabin cruiser.

Firefighters from Maidenhead and Oxfordshire were joined by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s water rescue unit, but the boat had been ‘completely destroyed’ by the time they were able to put the fire out.

Paramedics treated a 66-year-old man with a leg injury at the scene before taking him to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

Mateusz Kawa, 39, had been having a picnic with his girlfriend nearby when the explosion happened.

The lorry driver, who also spent six years as a merchant seaman, was among others who rushed to help by moving other boats to prevent the blaze spreading.

“We were lying on the island and one yacht just exploded and parts of furniture and parts of the yacht went in the air,” he said.

Afterwards, the Environment Agency used booms to absorb oil from the wreckage and started work on clearing debris.

Damage to the surrounding area is still being assessed.