One person was killed and the other was injured when he collided with a ferry near Clearwater, Florida, on Sunday night, officials said.
Twelve people were taken to hospital, the Coast Guard said. Six people were declared “trauma alerts,” the city of Clearwater said, and the two “residually injured” were taken by helicopters, police said.
Police say a Clearwater Ferry, which contains 45 people, including two crew members, was attacked by another boat and fled the scene of the crash. The other boats have identified a civilian recreation vessel that carried six people, the Coast Guard said.
Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via the AP
The ferry “has started resting at Sandbar just south of Memorial Causeway Bridge,” police said. All passengers, including those injured, are removed from the ferry.
Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge connects Clearwater and Clearwater Beach.
CBS’s News Affiliate WTSP, which took over the crash investigation reported by CBS News Affiliate WTSP, which described it as a triple engine center console boat often used in fishing and recreation, towing a boat that matches the explanation of what it had hit the ferry. It was not immediately clear who was driving the boat or who owned it.
In a statement to CBS News Monday, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, which oversees Clearwater Ferry, said: “We are heartbroken for the lives of all those who lost their lives, all those injured, and for the families.”
“We are deeply grateful for the dedication of our first responders and others who rushed to help us out on Sunday night. We are working with the investigation. Safety is a top priority for PSTA and Clearwater Ferry,” PSTA and Clearwater Ferry said in a joint statement.
