Clearwater Ferry hit by leisure boat, killing 1 and injuring a number of others in Florida

One individual was killed and a number of other others injured when a ship crashed right into a ferry close to Clearwater, Florida, Sunday night time, officers stated.

Ten individuals on board the Clearwater Ferry have been injured when a leisure vessel struck it from behind, metropolis officers stated at a information convention Monday. There have been 45 passengers, together with two crew, on the ferry and authorities haven’t recognized the person who died.

Of the injured, six have been declared “trauma alerts,” the town of Clearwater beforehand stated, and two of those that have been “extra severely injured” have been taken away by helicopter, in accordance with police.

Authorities stated the Clearwater Ferry was hit by one other boat, which fled the scene of the crash. The opposite boat, a non-public leisure vessel, was later discovered about three miles away from the incident, in accordance with metropolis officers. The Coast Guard stated there have been six individuals on the boat, together with the motive force.

The ferry “got here to relaxation on a sandbar simply south of the Memorial Causeway bridge,” police stated. Metropolis officers clarified Monday that the ferry didn’t strike the sandbar. All of the passengers, together with those that have been injured, have been then taken off the ferry.

The Clearwater Memorial Causeway bridge connects Clearwater and Clearwater Seashore.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee, which took over the investigation into the crash, towed ashore a ship matching the outline of the one which hit the ferry late Sunday night time, CBS Information affiliate WTSP reported, describing it as a triple-engine heart console boat typically used for fishing and recreation. 

No expenses have been filed and nobody has been taken into police custody, metropolis officers stated Monday, including that the motive force of leisure vessel, who was not recognized, is cooperative.

In an announcement to CBS Information on Monday, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority who oversees the Clearwater Ferry stated, “We’re heartbroken for the one that misplaced their life, everybody who was damage, and their households.”

“We deeply admire the dedication of the primary responders and others who rushed to assist Sunday night time. We’re cooperating with the investigation. Security is the highest precedence for PSTA and the Clearwater Ferry,” PSTA and Clearwater Ferry stated within the joint assertion.