One dead, several injured after boat collides with ferry in Florida - VIDEO
One person has died and multiple others were injured after a recreational boat collided with a ferry carrying 45 people in Clearwater, Florida, according to police.
The recreational boat fled the scene, but has been identified by another law enforcement agency, according to Rob Shaw, a public information officer for the Clearwater police, News.Az reports, citing CNN.
Police said earlier that six people were declared as “trauma alerts,” two of whom were transported from the scene by helicopter. Shaw said one of the injured later died from “injuries sustained” in the collision.
“It’s been declared a mass casualty incident by the fire department due to the number of injuries,” police said.
Police were notified around 8:40 p.m. local time that a boat had struck the ferry near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge, according to police.
The ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the bridge and all other passengers were safely evacuated, police said.
The cause of the collision is not clear.
Everyone who was injured was on the ferry, police said. Two patients taken away by helicopter were “seriously injured,” police said earlier.
“It is not believed that there is anyone reported missing from the ferry,” Shaw told CNN.
Among the 45 people on board were two crew members, according to police.
The United States Coast Guard said it was notified of the collision and that crews from the Station Sand Key and partner agencies were on the scene.
Drivers are being urged to avoid the Memorial Causeway as emergency crews remain at the scene.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be leading the investigation into the crash, Clearwater police said.
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