In Clearwater, Florida, a yacht collided with a ferry carrying dozens of people on Sunday (April 27) and then fled the scene, resulting in one fatality and over ten people being taken to the hospital.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the hit-and-run incident occurred around 8:40 p.m. on Sunday near the Memorial Causeway Bridge. The ferry had around 45 people on board, including two crew members, while the other vessel had 6 people at the time of the collision.
On Monday (April 28), the Coast Guard confirmed on social media platform X that 12 people were transported to local hospitals, but further information about their conditions was not provided. Authorities stated that only the individuals on the ferry were injured.
Hours after the accident, the Clearwater Fire and Rescue Department classified the incident as a “major casualty event” due to the number of casualties and severity of injuries.
Clearwater city officials reported that at least 6 patients were categorized as trauma alerts requiring immediate treatment, and 2 of them, with serious injuries, needed to be airlifted to hospitals for treatment.
An eyewitness stated that seconds before the collision, he saw a boat directly hit the ferry, giving passengers little time to prepare.
Officials mentioned that multiple individuals fell into the water after the crash.
Shortly after the collision, emergency rescue personnel searched the water and located all the victims.
Law enforcement authorities have confirmed the identity of the fleeing vessel but have not disclosed any information about it.
Clearwater city public information officer, Rob Shaw, said, “We believe that other law enforcement agencies in the area may have located the vessel. This is the preliminary information we have. We also urge anyone with information about the accident or possessing accident videos to contact us.”
Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector took to social media shortly after the incident, stating, “Our thoughts are with those involved in the boat accident south of the Memorial Bridge tonight. We also want to thank the emergency rescue personnel of Clearwater and Pinellas County, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for their swift actions in saving lives and investigating the accident.”
Following the collision, the ferry ran aground on a sandbar on the south side of the bridge. The bridge connects Clearwater to the popular destination Clearwater Beach, located north of St. Petersburg and west of Tampa.
The accident occurred on the final day of the annual “Sugar Sand Festival” on Clearwater Beach. Local media reports indicated that among the passengers on the ferry were individuals attending the festival celebrations.
Local authorities stated that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is leading the investigation into the cause of the accident.