1 dead, several injured after Florida ferry, carrying 45 onboard, struck by boat in hit-and-run

According to Clearwater Police, the crash between the ferry and boat left multiple injured and due to the high number of injuries, it has been declared “a mass casualty incident”.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: April 28, 2025 10:28 AM IST

3 min read

Investigators search the wreckage of a Clearwater Ferry after a boat crashed into the ferry causing multiple injuries near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge, in Clearwater, Fla. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

At least one person died and several others were left injured after a boat collided with a ferry, carrying 45 people onboard, off the Memorial Causeway Bridge in Clearwater, Florida on Sunday night, officials said.

According to the Clearwater Police Department, the crash between the ferry and boat left multiple injured and due to the high number of injuries, it has been declared “a mass casualty incident” by the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department, Associated Press reported.

The Clearwater Ferry was reportedly carrying 45 people onboard when it was hit by a boat that fled the scene immediately. After the hit-and-run incident, the ferry came to pause on a sandbar under the Memorial Causeway bridge.

Clearwater Police spokesperson Rob Shaw said, “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,” NBC News reported.

The police informed that a person died from the injuries suffered due to the collision, while it added that all the injured persons were passengers but did not specify the number. All the passengers were later on removed from the ferry.

Rescue workers gather at the Seminole Boat ramp north of where a boat crashed into the ferry causing multiple injuries near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge, in Clearwater, Fla. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

“All local hospitals have been notified. Multiple trauma alerts have been called with helicopters transporting two of the more seriously injured,” Clearwater Police Department posted on X.

All the drivers were cautioned by the police to avoid Memorial Causeway. AP reported that the US Coast Guard and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission have been given the task to investigate the incident.

Detailing about the seriously injured passengers, police said that two of them were flown by helicopter to hospital.

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