An 88-foot luxury yacht belonging to a professional poker player known as “The Lion” has burst into flames off the Mediterranean island of Formentera.

Twelve passengers and five crew members were forced to evacuate the vessel as it was engulfed by a fire on Saturday evening. A 39-year-old Spaniard was later treated in hospital for minor burns.

It is not known if its owner, Diego Gomez Gonzalez, who earned his nickname after wearing a lion costume to the 2012 European Poker Tour, was onboard at the time.

Onlookers gathered to watch as the “Irmao” yacht was rapidly consumed by flames. The blaze was said to have been seen on the neighbouring island of Ibiza. 

The vessel, which boasted a jacuzzi, waterskis and VIP cabin, was later reported to have sunk by the Spanish coastguard.

Officials said they had attempted to tow it away using a coastguard boat sent from Majorca. However, it eventually slipped beneath the waves near a natural landmark known as the Punta de Sa Pedrera.