Florida authorities declare ‘mass casualty’ in boat crash near Clearwater bridge

Several people were injured on Sunday when a boat crashed into a ferry off the Memorial Causeway Bridge and then fled the scene, authorities said.

The Clearwater Police Department posted on X that many people were injured, prompting the department to declare the crash “a mass casualty incident” due to the number of victims.

All of those injured were aboard the ferry, which was carrying more than 40 people. Following the collision, the ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the Memorial Causeway bridge and all patients and passengers have been removed.

Police did not immediately provide any information about the boat that fled or the exact number of those injured.

“All local hospitals have been notified. Multiple trauma alerts have been called with helicopters transporting two of the more seriously injured,” the post said.

Videos on social media showed several first responders rushing to the scene with lights flashing.

Police cautioned drivers to avoid Memorial Causeway.

The US Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will investigate the crash.