This is the moment Italian firefighters battle the flames on a burning luxury yacht that caught fire at sea with 13 passengers onboard.

The fire broke out on a stretch of Tyrrhenian Sea about 10 miles off the coast between the towns of Tarquinia and Montalto di Castro in the western Italian province of Viterbo, just north of Rome.

The boat blaze was spotted by visitors on a beach who saw smoke rising in the distance at around 2pm on 25th August and immediately notified local authorities.

The Coast Guard of Civitavecchia, located in the Metropolitan City of Rome, and firefighters from Viterbo Province were sent to the scene to battle the flames and rescue any survivors.

Civitavecchia has firefighting ships as it is a major shipping destination with cruise ships and ferries travelling between central Italy and Sardinia, Sicily, Tunis and Barcelona. It’s also a big fishing area and a popular tourist destination, with part of a local fort designed by Michelangelo.

There are also Roman Bath’s for those arriving by cruise ship who do not want to travel on to Rome and the Vatican, which are a 90-minute drive away.

Rescue teams arrived on the scene at 2.27pm and carried out fire extinguishing operations. In a video of the incident, firefighters can be seen spraying a powerful jet of water across the sea onto the blazing yacht before backing away, possibly fearing an explosion.

Thirteen people who abandoned the yacht in a dinghy were rescued at sea, with no one suffering any life-threatening injuries thanks to the speedy action of rescuers.

Reports said the boat eventually sank due to the fire damage it sustained and in the video, the cabin area seems to have already been consumed by the flames.

The cause of the fire is unknown and the investigation is ongoing.