OVER 20 passengers onboard a boat were forced to plunge into the freezing water when their vessel burst into flames.

The group were in the waters off New York City just after 8:30 pm on Saturday when the terrifying explosion took place.

Emergency teams from the Coast Guard, New York Fire Department and New York Police Department all attended the scene near City Island in the Bronx.

The FDNY said that three people were pulled from the water, one in a critical condition.

All remaining passengers were able to swim to a nearby shoreline from where they were rescued.

“Marine 4 grabbed three people out of the water,” the FDNY said in a statment.

“At that point, they transported them to one of the docks that was close by, where Engine 70 was waiting and EMS was waiting as well to begin CPR on the victims.

“The other 19 folks swam to Hart Island. They were just off the east end of Hart Island, and then they were picked up by the NYPD Coast Guard and FDNY boats and transported back over to the docks at the Yacht Club on City Island.”