One dead as authorities declare ‘mass casualty’ after boat crashes in US

Florida:  One person died, and several others were injured on Sunday when a boat collided with a ferry off the Memorial Causeway Bridge in Florida’s Clearwater, US, before fleeing the scene, authorities said.

The Clearwater Police Department announced on X that there were multiple injuries and that the crash had been declared “a mass casualty incident” by the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department due to the number of people hurt.

All those injured were aboard the ferry, which was carrying more than 40 passengers at the time of the crash. Police have not yet released any details about the person who died in the incident.

Following the collision, the ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the Memorial Causeway Bridge, and authorities confirmed that all patients and passengers were successfully removed from the vessel.

Police did not immediately release any information about the boat that fled the scene following the crash.

Authorities also did not immediately provide an official count of those injured.

“All local hospitals have been notified. Multiple trauma alerts have been called with helicopters transporting two of the more seriously injured,” Clearwater Police posted on X.

Videos shared across social media platforms showed several first responders rushing to the crash scene with lights flashing as emergency crews worked to aid the injured and secure the area.

Police advised drivers to avoid the Memorial Causeway, which remained a scene of heavy emergency activity through the evening.

The US Coast Guard and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission have been tasked with investigating the cause of the crash and identifying the boat that fled.

–IANS