ISTANBUL

One person died and several people were injured when a ferry carrying dozens of passengers collided Sunday night with a private boat in Clearwater, Florida, according to authorities.

"One person has died from injuries in tonight’s boat crash. @MyFWC will be handing the crash investigation,” the Clearwater Police Department wrote on X.

"Along with @clearwaterfire, we're working a boat crash off the Memorial Causeway bridge that has resulted in multiple injuries," the police said earlier.

💢 One person was killed and several were injured after a boat collided with a ferry carrying 45 passengers in Florida, US

🔴 The incident was declared a 'mass casualty' event 'due to the number of injuries'

➡️ The boat that hit the ferry fled the scene, the police said… pic.twitter.com/CpPaTxSTKP

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) April 28, 2025

Police said there were more than 40 people on board the ferry and all of the injured were from the ferry, which came to rest on a sandbar near the bridge.

The incident was declared a "mass casualty" event "due to the number of injuries."

All patients and passengers have been removed from the boat, police said.

Multiple trauma alerts were issued, with helicopters transporting "two of the more seriously injured," it added.

Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector told ABC Action News that the Clearwater Ferry was involved in a collision with a privately owned boat. Some 42 people were on board the ferry, which can carry up to 50 passengers, according a City of Clearwater official.

The crash occurred as the 17-day Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival was concluding, with many attendees using the ferry for transportation to and from the event, the news outlet noted.

The boat that struck the ferry fled the scene, police said, adding an investigation into the crash will be conducted by the US Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.