Multiple injuries reported after boat hits Clearwater Ferry in Florida

Multiple people are injured after a boat collided with a ferry in Clearwater, Florida, on Sunday night, officials said. More than 40 people were on the Clearwater Ferry when a boat struck it and fled, Clearwater police said on X. The ferry came to a stop on a sandbar under the Memorial Causeway bridge. “We believe that the boat responsible for hitting the ferry left the scene immediately, and we believe that our law enforcement partners may have that boat,” police spokesperson Rob Shaw said. All passengers have been removed from the ferry, police said. It was not immediately clear how many people were injured. Police said all were passengers on the ferry. Two seriously injured passengers were flown by helicopter to hospitals, the police department said. Bayfront Hospital received one patient with a femur fracture and one with unknown injuries, an Orlando Health spokesman said. The Clearwater Fire Department declared the crash a “mass casualty incident” because so many people were injured. Shaw said there were six trauma alerts. Shaw said officers are still working to account for all of the people who were on the ferry but said he believes everyone has been rescued. Clearwater police are leading the investigation with assistance from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The Coast Guard is on the scene, it said on X. A spokesperson for the Clearwater Ferry confirmed the vessel was in an accident Sunday but declined to provide further information, citing the ongoing investigation. Clearwater is about 23 miles northwest of St. Petersburg.