A couple from mid Wales are being praised for their “heroic bravery” after rescuing six people – including four children and a baby – when a boat exploded on the River Thames.
Josh Hobbs, 35, and his wife Hannah Lloyd-Hobbs, 34, from Rhayader in Powys, leapt into the water without hesitation after witnessing the boat engulfed in flames while holidaying near Lechlade, on the Wiltshire-Oxfordshire border, on Saturday 31 May.
The pair had been walking their dog along the riverbank when a deafening explosion shattered the calm.
“It was an almighty bang – the kind where the air pressure around your head shifts,” said Josh. “We were less than ten minutes into our walk and about 100 metres from the river when it happened. Hannah thought it might’ve been a celebration – maybe a confetti cannon. I thought it could be a gas barbecue or a hob. But then we heard the screaming – the kind you instantly know is serious.”
They rushed to the river to find the vessel ablaze and drifting away from the bank. Onboard were nine people – five adults and four children, the youngest just 18 months old – trapped and panicking.
Josh recalled, “They were shouting back that they couldn’t swim. We were urging them to get in the river – because, at that point, it was the safer option.”
Hannah was first into the water, immediately reaching for the baby. “She handed the child to me and got out to make sure the baby wasn’t left alone on the bank,” said Josh. “That’s when I realised there were others still in the water who couldn’t swim.”
He returned to the river and pulled two young children to safety before going back again.
“One woman had been under for quite some time and looked in a bad way. Her partner, in panic, jumped on me as well. All I could do was tread water as hard as I could, shouting for help.”
Josh managed to pass a three-year-old to another bystander while Hannah remained onshore with the baby. “At one point I had four people clinging to me,” he said. “They kept shouting they couldn’t swim. I told them I didn’t care – we just had to get to the bank.”
The blast was heard for miles and drew other members of the public to the scene, several of whom assisted in pulling people from the water and administering first aid until emergency services arrived. The couple only allowed themselves to relax once the air ambulance crews were on-site.
Wiltshire Police confirmed that all nine people on board the boat – five adults and four children aged between 18 months and seven years – ended up in the river. All were taken to hospital. Three remain in a stable condition, and two, including the baby, have sustained potentially life-changing burns.
In a statement, Wiltshire Police said: “Three people remain in hospital following an explosion on a boat in Lechlade over the weekend. A cordon was put in place to facilitate enquiries, which has now been lifted.”
Detective Superintendent Joe Garrity praised the couple’s swift response: “It’s nothing short of a miracle that there were no fatalities. Much of that is due to the actions of two holidaymakers from Wales who, with no thought for their own safety, jumped into the Thames to save lives. It was heroic bravery.”
He also thanked officers from Gloucestershire and Thames Valley Police, RAF Fairford, and the emergency services who responded to the incident. Police have urged anyone with relevant information to come forward, quoting log 129 of 31 May.
Josh and Hannah have since been in touch with police to check on the condition of those they helped.
“In the heat of the moment, we just did what we did,” said Josh.
Hannah added: “We hope the families are doing okay. We wish them a speedy recovery.”
