Authorities declare 'mass casualty' tragedy after Florida boat crash
Authorities declared a “mass casualty” incident after a horrific crash between a boat and a ferry in Florida.
The crash happened Sunday night near the Memorial Causeway Bridge in Clearwater.
A boat crashed into a crowded ferry, killing one person and injuring at least a dozen, then fled the scene, reports the New York Post.
Clearwater Police confirmed the tragedy on X, citing multiple injuries and calling it a “mass casualty incident.”
Emergency services rushed to help the ferry, which carried over 40 people during the collision.
Rob Shaw of the City of Clearwater reported 45 passengers were onboard, including two crew members.
Clearwater Fire & Rescue said all local hospitals were alerted.
They added that helicopters transported two seriously injured passengers under multiple trauma alerts.
Footage on social media showed a chaotic response as dozens of police cars and ambulances raced to the scene.
Their red and blue lights flashed across the night sky.
10 Tampa Bay reported about 10 emergency vehicles arrived shortly after the crash.
Rescue workers desperately tried to remove the injured from the ferry.
Maritime officials on a police scanner said there were “multiple red tag victims” among the injured.
The National Institute of Health defines “red tag victims” as patients with severe but survivable injuries.
The ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the Memorial Causeway Bridge.
Rescue teams removed all passengers and patients from the vessel.
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Witnesses described the frantic scene.
“A regular boat just hit the ferry in Clearwater,” one witness wrote on X, citing a coast guard broadcast.
“I think over four helicopters are airlifting people. I don’t even know how many ambulances are there.”
“Every minute there’s more and more. This is awful,” the witness added.
Officials said the boat fled immediately after hitting the ferry.
Hours later, Clearwater officials announced another law enforcement agency had identified the vessel.
Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector confirmed to ABC that the boat was privately owned.
Witnesses described a frantic atmosphere at the scene.
“A regular boat just hit the ferry in Clearwater,” one witness wrote on X, citing a coast guard broadcast.
“I think over four helicopters are airlifting people. I don’t even know how many ambulances are there.”
“Every minute there’s more and more. This is awful,” the witness added.
Officials said the boat fled right after the crash.
Hours later, Clearwater officials announced another law enforcement agency identified the vessel.
Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector told ABC that the boat was privately owned.
Officials from the Seventh Coast Guard District described the boat as a recreational vessel.
Scanner reports suggested two separate maritime accidents might have occurred at the same time.
An officer reported about 40 patients receiving treatment after the crash.
The collision happened on the final night of Clearwater’s 17-day Sugar Sand Festival, per the Mirror.
Ferry traffic was heavy as visitors traveled between Clearwater Beach and the mainland.
Authorities, including the US Coast Guard and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, launched a full investigation.
Police urged drivers and residents to avoid the Memorial Causeway area to help emergency crews respond.
