Clearwater (Florida) [US], April 28 : Several people were injured after a ferry carrying more than 40 passengers collided with another boat near Clearwater, Florida, police said on Saturday, CBS News reported.
Emergency crews declared the situation a mass casualty incident as police and fire teams rushed to the scene.
According to the Clearwater Police Department, six individuals were classified as "trauma alerts," with two of the more seriously injured passengers transported by helicopter for medical treatment. Authorities did not immediately release the total number of injuries.
The collision involved a Clearwater Ferry and another boat, which authorities said fled the scene after the crash. All those who sustained injuries were passengers aboard the ferry, which came to a stop on a sandbar just south of the Memorial Causeway bridge, reported CBS News.
Police confirmed that all passengers, including those injured, were safely removed from the vessel.
The U.S. Coast Guard stated that the boat which left the scene was a recreational vehicle, but no further details about it were available. The Clearwater Memorial Causeway bridge, near where the incident occurred, connects Clearwater to Clearwater Beach, a popular area for tourists and locals, CBS News reported.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to locate the second vessel involved in the crash.
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