Multiple people are injured after a boat collided with the Clearwater Ferry in Florida on Sunday night, officials said.
More than 40 people were on the ferry when a boat struck it and fled the scene, the Clearwater Police Department said on X. The ferry came to a stop on a sandbar under the Memorial Causeway bridge.
“We believe that the boat responsible for hitting the ferry left the scene immediately, and we believe that our law enforcement partners may have that boat,” Clearwater Police spokesperson Rob Shaw said.
All passengers have been removed from the ferry, police said.
It was not immediately clear how many people were injured, but police said all were passengers on the ferry.
Two seriously injured passengers were transported by helicopter to local hospitals, the police department said.
The Clearwater Fire Department declared the crash a “mass casualty incident” because so many people were injured. Shaw said there were six trauma alerts for the accident.
Shaw said officers are still working to account for all of the people who were on the ferry, but said he believes everyone has been rescued.
The Clearwater Police Department is leading the investigation into the crash with assistance from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Coast Guard is on scene, the agency said on X.
A spokesperson for the Clearwater Ferry confirmed the vessel was in an accident Sunday but declined to provide further information, citing the ongoing investigation.
Clearwater is about 23 miles northwest of St. Petersburg.
