Dramatic rescue of 4 Britons as luxury yacht explodes in flames before sinking off Menorca island (WATCH)

Four British nationals were rescued in the nick of time after their luxury motor yacht exploded into flames before sinking off the island of Menorca. The terrifying incident unfolded in the Mahon Channel, where a fire erupted in the engine room, quickly spreading across the 40-foot vessel.

According to reports, the drama occurred around 6pm on Sunday when the motor yacht was in an area known as the Mahon Channel. It sank around two hours later around four nautical miles south-east of Mahon Port.

Dramatic footage showed Spanish coastguards who went to the rescue trying to put out the fire with high-pressure water jets as a huge plume of black smoke rose into the air near the island's capital Mahon.

Emergency responders had initially planned to tow the 40ft boat to port so firefighters could tackle the blaze with more powerful hoses.

But coastguards eventually decided to take it further out to sea to minimise the risk of explosion before it sank.

The four Brits on board had already been rescued and taken ashore on a boat belonging to a sailing club based at Mahon Port.

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