Great Barrier Reef boat fire: police say blaze may have started in engine

Three passengers in their 50s and 60s remain in hospital following the blaze on the 25-metre catamaran, which forced 46 passengers to abandon ship

A boat fire off the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef that forced more than 40 tourists to escape into life rafts is believed to have started in the ship's engine.

The now-sunken Spirit of 1770 caught fire in waters 18km off the coastal community called Town of 1770 on Wednesday afternoon, close to Lady Musgrave island.