A tour boat packed with 115 tourists caught fire off Turkey’s southwest coast, sending families leaping into the sea in life jackets before rescuers pulled everyone to safety.
Quick Take
- A tourist boat carrying 115 people caught fire off Fethiye in Turkey’s Muğla province.
- Passengers, including children, jumped into the water wearing life jackets as flames spread.
- Turkish coast guard crews and nearby boats rescued everyone on board, with no deaths reported.
- Two people were treated for smoke inhalation; the fire’s cause is still under investigation.
Fire Breaks Out Near Popular Resort Town
The fire started on a tour boat sailing near Katrancı Bay, close to the resort town of Fethiye. The vessel was carrying 115 passengers and crew, including children, when flames began spreading across the boat. Turkish news agencies reported the blaze broke out during what should have been a routine day trip along the popular southwestern coastline.
Passengers Jump Into the Sea to Escape Flames
As the fire grew, passengers put on life jackets and jumped into the water to escape the smoke and heat. Anadolu Agency reporting says children were among those forced into the sea. Witnesses described panic aboard the vessel as flames spread quickly across parts of the boat, leaving little time to plan an orderly evacuation.
Turkish authorities moved fast once the alarm went out. Fethiye District Governor Fatih Akkaya said Coast Guard vessels and other boats in the area rushed to help pull people from the water. The mix of official rescue teams and nearby private boats appears to have sped up the operation and kept the situation from becoming deadly.
Rescue Numbers Show Small Differences in Early Reports
Early counts from the scene varied slightly. Some reports, relying on Turkish coast guard statements, said 107 people had been evacuated during the operation. Other accounts, based on Anadolu Agency reporting, said all 115 people aboard were eventually brought to safety. Both figures point to the same basic outcome: a mass rescue with no deaths reported.
This kind of small gap in numbers is common right after a fast-moving rescue. Officials and reporters often count differently depending on the moment, some tracking people still in the water, others counting people already back on land. The overall picture from Turkey is consistent across every report: more than 100 people were pulled from the sea safely.
Injuries Limited to Smoke Exposure
No deaths were reported from the fire. Two people were taken to the hospital after breathing in smoke, and several children went through medical checks as a precaution. Given that more than 100 people had to escape a burning boat, the injury toll stayed low, a sign that the rescue response reached people quickly.
Cause of the Fire Still Under Investigation
Turkish officials have not yet said what started the fire. Investigators are still looking into the cause, and no timeline for the findings has been announced. Some early reports suggested the blaze may have started in the boat’s kitchen area, though authorities have not confirmed that detail.
🇹🇷 UPDATE: All 115 people safely evacuated after tourist boat fire in Katranci Bay near Fethiye, Turkey pic.twitter.com/7qsmHCLVM9
— Public News X (@PublicNewsX) August 14, 2026
The Fethiye area is a major draw for foreign and domestic tourists during the summer season, with tour boats carrying visitors along Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coastline. This is not the first tour boat fire reported in the region in recent years, underscoring ongoing questions about maintenance and safety checks for the vessels that carry large numbers of tourists on day trips.
Sources:
youtube.com, turkiyetoday.com, yahoo.com
