• Tourists had to rescued from freezing cold River Mersey by 19 ambulances
  • It is the second Yellow Duckmarine tour boat to sink this year

By Olivia Williams

PUBLISHED: 12:11 EST, 15 June 2013 | UPDATED: 12:34 EST, 15 June 2013

A boat full of terrified tourists sank in Liverpool's Albert Dock this afternoon with 31 people on board.

Coastguards arrived to rescue passengers from the freezing cold water just before 4pm as locals tried to help on nearby barges.

The Yellow Duckmarine tour ran into trouble when it made its amphibious transition from the dockside to the River Mersey.

The Yellow Duckmarine boat sinking in Albert Dock, with 31 people on board

Rescue: The Yellow Duckmarine boat sinking in Albert Dock with 31 people on board, as locals on barges tried to haul them out

An eyewitness said the former World War Two landing vehicle took only four minutes to disappear beneath the water

Sinking fast: An eyewitness said the former World War Two landing vehicle took only four minutes to disappear beneath the water this afternoon

It is understood that some of the passengers had to be treated for shock but that no other major injuries have been reported.

A spokeswoman for the North West Ambulance Service said: 'Police are continuing to search the water just to see if there is anybody else affected and we are on stand-by.'

An eyewitness told the BBC: 'It only took about four minutes to go down. The police, ambulance and air ambulance services arrived on the scene quickly'.

Large crowds gathered around the scene as 19 ambulances arrived to treat the passengers.

This is the second Yellow Duckmarine tour boat to have sunk with passengers on board in the past three months.

All 31 people aboard were safely rescued

Successful operation: All 31 people aboard were safely rescued but police are continuing to check the water as a precaution

Rescuers on canal barges help pull people to safety after the 'splashdown' ending of the tour went wrong

Evacuation: Rescuers pulled people to safety after the 'splashdown' ending of the tour went wrong

Another Duckmarine tour boat sank in March this year, also full of passengers

Second disaster: Another Duckmarine tour boat sank in March this year, also full of passengers

The company takes tourists around Liverpool by land and water in its distinctive amphibious vehicles and the climax of the tour is intended to be the moment when the boat moves from land to water.

However in March, the company's permission to take the boats into the River Mersey was suspended while a safety investigation was carried out.

Their four boats are adapted from World War Two landing vehicles. Between 700 and 1,000 are currently thought to still exist.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have previously been passengers on the Yellow Duckmarine, when they toured Merseyside as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour last year.