Fishermen rescue family from burning boat off Texas coast

Four people, including a six-year-old boy, were rescued from a burning yacht that caught fire in the waters off Texas.

A group of friends were fishing in the Mexican Gulf on Saturday evening when one spotted the burning boat in the distance.

Michael Marquez and his friends took their boat toward the black pillar of smoke where they found the yacht with the family trapped on board.

"There was four people, there was a mum and son and her husband and I believe her father. The son looked to be about six years old," Mr Marquez told KHOU News.

"So, first my instinct was to get him off the boat and onto mine. So the whole boat was in flames.

"I went straight up, real close to it, and I was yelling 'Throw the kid! Throw the kid!'"

With the boy in the water, the mother dove in after him and the rescuers and the rescued family sped away from the flaming yacht.

"My first instinct was get outta there, get outta there with the kid, the boat's on fire," the rescuer said.

It is not clear what started the fire and the US Coast Guard reported there were no injuries.

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