CLEARWATER, Fla. — One person died and several were injured Sunday evening after a boat struck a ferry near the Memorial Causeway Bridge and fled the scene, authorities said.
In an alert from the City of Clearwater, officials said the crash happened at 8:43 p.m. Clearwater police, along with Clearwater Fire & Rescue, responded to the scene just west of the bridge.
The crash appears to be a hit-and-run on the water, caused by a boat that struck the Clearwater Ferry, police said. The boat reportedly left the scene, and the ferry came to rest on a sandbar.
The fire department declared it a mass casualty incident because of the number of people involved and severity of injuries. There were more than 40 people aboard the ferry, police said.
Police said two of the wounded were airlifted by helicopter to nearby hospitals. They did not provide information about the person who died.
It was the end of the 17-day Sugar Sand Festival on Sunday night and many people were taking the ferry back and forth for the festival, media reports said.
An ABC News affiliate cited Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector as saying the boat that collided with the ferry was privately owned.
Reuters, The Associated Press contributed to this report.
