VIDEO: Six rescued after tourist boat collides with Rotterdam water taxi

Six people have been rescued, after a terrifying collision between a sightseeing boat and a water taxi in Rotterdam.

A video that captures the incident (seen below) shows the small taxi approaching the large sightseeing boat at a diagonal angle, underneath the Erasmus Bridge on the Nieuwe Mass River. The taxi, which was carrying four adults, one captain and a young child, is initially sent underwater by the collision, before reappearing on the surface and capsizing.

Several boats and other water taxis rushed to the scene shortly after the collision, as well as large numbers of emergency vehicles.

Heart-stopping footage of the incident shows one captain attaching a rope to the tail of the upturned boat, attempting to right it, as people in lifejackets fight their way out:

All passengers were pulled to safety and have reportedly been taken to hospital for observation.

In a Tweet, local emergency services confirmed a major accident and noted that water traffic had temporarily been halted near the bridge.