LONDON — A superyacht has sunk after catching fire while moored in a marina.

Police were called to the blaze on the 85ft (26m) vessel at Princess Pier in Torquay, Devon, at about 12:10 BST on Saturday.

Members of the public described hearing a bang, before seeing a huge plume of black smoke. No injuries have been reported, Devon & Cornwall Police said.

Emergency services declared a major incident and officers evacuated a nearby beach and roads.

The boat, which police said broke from its mooring, was secured by the fire service near the marina's pier before it sank.

The Environment Agency (EA) said it was believed to have had about nine tons of diesel on board.

A police spokesman said nearby residents should keep their doors and windows shut "due to the levels of smoke and fumes".

Joseph Barlow said he heard a loud noise and then saw the fire while walking to the nearby beach.

"I heard a bang like a gun shot from the harbor, followed by big plume of black smoke," he said.

Barlow said he then saw "a fire coming from the boat in the harbor" and that shortly after firefighters arrived and the area was cordoned off by police.

BBC Devon reporter Louise Mitchell said it looked like the fire "was at the end of a pier".

"You could certainly see massive flames reaching up into the air and the plume of smoke was just enormous," she said.

She added that coastguards had been evacuating the area around Torre Abbey Meadows.

In a tweet, the EA said as the vessel had now sunk, the focus was "now on pollution".

An EA spokesman added that the response to that threat would be led by the harbor master, while the agency would provide "advice and guidance on bathing water quality". — BBC