At least one person is dead and a dozen more injured as chilling new pictures emerge of the ferry which was damaged in a collision with a private boat and the survivors as they were ushered to safety.
The US Coast Guard and police swiftly declared the Sunday night tragedy a ‘mass casualty event’ as they worked through the night to pull people ashore.
The Clearwater Ferry was shuttling festivalgoers to and from the final night of the 17-day Sugar Sand Festival when it was hit by a private boat carrying six people.
That boat swiftly fled the scene as the ferry – carrying 43 passengers and two crew – was forced to come to a rest on a sandbar near the Memorial Causeway bridge.
Extraordinary photos show the sheer extent of the damage to the small ferry, with parts of the roof entirely torn down and plastic chairs collapsed in on themselves from the impact of the collision.
Other pictures captured the moment passengers were led to safety on shore with brave first responders standing on the sandbank as they assessed the ferry.
In all, six passengers were described as ‘trauma patients’ and rushed to various hospitals around the state.
Two of them had to be airlifted to hospital in the two medical helicopters which arrived to assist.
Extraordinary photos show the sheer extent of the damage to the small ferry, with parts of the roof entirely torn down and plastic chairs collapsed in on themselves from the impact of the collision
A man suspected of being behind the wheel of the boat that fled the scene is pictured walking with an investigator
At least six of the 42 passengers have been described as ‘trauma patients’ as emergency services crews on the scene work through the chaos and carnage to carry out rescue operations
The remainder of the passengers were assessed and treated by 10 ambulance and emergency service vehicles which responded to the initial call – racing to the scene with their sirens blaring and lights flashing as details trickled out about the tragedy.
Clearwater Police Department issued a statement late on Sunday night urging motorists to avoid Memorial Causeway as they rush patients to various hospitals.
‘We’re working a boat crash off the Memorial Causeway bridge that has resulted in multiple injuries,’ police said in the statement.
‘It’s been declared a mass casualty incident by the fire department due to the number of injuries. All local hospitals have been notified.
‘Multiple trauma alerts have been called with helicopters transporting two of the more seriously injured.’
Police also revealed the ‘boat that struck the ferry fled the scene’ after the crash. It was later located with six passengers on board – none of whom were injured.
‘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,’ Clearwater Police spokesperson Rob Shaw said.
Several pictures appear to reveal the moment the suspected driver of the boat was escorted from the Belleair Boat Ramp south of the crash site with an investigator.
First responders were able to stand on the sandbank as they offered assistance and rescued the passengers
Passengers were all taken to safety after the crash, with upwards of 12 requiring further treatment at surrounding hospitals
Pictured: A first responder rushing into the water to rescue passengers
Pictured: A smaller rescue boat at the location of the ferrry
One of the ferry passengers, Marco Vacheco, told 10 Tampa Bay that they were ‘hit from behind.’
‘It was like a big yacht, it hit from behind, like it came through where the captain sits, like he was pinned down,’ he said.
His pregnant wife Brenda Alvarez told ABC Action News she ‘hasn’t felt the baby move’ since the crash and was about to head to the hospital to get checked out.
‘I’m a little worried I haven’t felt the baby move. It’s very scary.’
Alvarez, who was on board with her husband and their two children, fell between two seats as the collision occured. She said the impact caused her ‘whole body to hurt.’
‘We just wanted to get to our cars and get home. We never, you never expect anything to happen.’
She went on to say that it’s hard to truly comprehend ‘how fast [the other boat] was going, how that was even logically possible.
‘It’s horrible. It shattered, it shattered the whole back of the boat, left a huge dent,’ she said.
Parts of the roof were entirely torn down and plastic chairs collapsed in on themselves during the crash
Medical helicopters are on the scene trying to get critical patients to hospital
10 emergency service crews descended on the scene amid reports of the crash
But Alvarez praised first responders who bravely rushed in to assist her children off the ferry.
‘Where we were, it was really shallow, so there was actually some paramedics that went out there and helped my children and I get off the boat,’ she said.
It’s understood as many as 12 patients were rushed to various hospitals, with more still evaluated on the scene.
All of the injured patients were on board the ferry at the time of the crash.
One horrified onlooker took to X moments after the crash, revealing: ‘A regular boat just hit the ferry in Clearwater. I think over 4 helicopters airlifting people out so far.
A man suspected of ‘driving the boat’ which crashed into the ferry is pictured here as he speaks with an investigator
Pictured: A man exits the Belleair Boat Ramp alongside an investigator who is assessing the tragedy
One of the passengers explained how the private boat crashed into the back of the ferry, causing damage to the top and the railing
‘I don’t even know how many ambulances are there. Every minute there’s more and more. This is awful.’
Police said emergency crews had removed every passenger and patient from the ferry by about 10.30pm and had accounted for everyone.
The US Coast Guard and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will lead an investigation into the crash.