At least 1 killed, several injured after boat hits ferry, flees on Florida's west coast
At least one person was killed and several were injured after a boat hit a ferry in what Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department described as a "mass casualty incident."
Helicopters transported the two of the more seriously injured to area hospitals and drivers were advised to avoid the Memorial Causeway bridge.
More than 40 people were on the Clearwater Ferry when a boat hit the ferry and then fled the scene, according to Clearwater Police Department. All of those injured were on the ferry, according to police.
Here's what we know.
The crash happened Sunday night, April 27, about 8:30 p.m. and involved the Clearwater Ferry and a recreational vessel, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
A boat carrying six people hit the ferry near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway and fled the scene, according to the Clearwater Police Department and U.S. Coast Guard.
The ferry was able to stop on a sandbar south of the bridge.
Authorities reportedly have identified the boat that fled the scene of the crash.
Shortly before midnight, Clearwater Police said one person had died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Multiple people were reported injured, all from the ferry, which was carrying more than 40 people. By 11 p.m., all patients and passengers had been removed from the ferry.
"It is not believed that there is anyone reported missing from the ferry," Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department said.
"Six patients were declared as trauma alerts, with two of those being transported by helicopter," according to Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department on Facebook.
It was not immediately known how many were injured in the incident, but police said multiple trauma alerts were called, and all local hospitals had been notified.
Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department declared it a mass casualty incident "because of the number and severity of injuries."
Clearwater is located about 20 miles west of Tampa on Florida's west coast. It's about 90 miles southwest of Orlando and 45 miles north-northwest of Sarasota.
The Coast Coast and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be investigating the accident, according to Clearwater Police.
The accident happened at the end of the 17-day Sugar Sand Festival and many people were taking the ferry back and forth for the festival, according to Reuters, citing other media reports.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; Reuters
This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Boat crash in Clearwater, Florida involves ferry death. What to know
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