Local officials reported multiple injuries in Clearwater after a ferry accident near the city’s Memorial Causeway Bridge. A ferry with more than 40 people aboard was struck by a boat which fled the scene.

The scene was attended by police and firefighters.

Clearwater Police Department stated on social media that nearby hospitals were informed and "multiple Trauma Alerts" were issued. Helicopters transported two of the most seriously injured individuals.

The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the crash.

All the injuries were caused by the ferry. "The boat that hit the ferry fled from the scene."

A NBC News affiliate cited a city of Clearwater alert stating that the crash occurred late at night, just west of the Bridge.

The ferry came to rest just south of Memorial Causeway Bridge on a sandbar. Police added that all patients and passengers had been removed.

Media reports stated that the Sugar Sand Festival ended on Sunday evening and that many people took the ferry to and from the festival.

According to an ABC News affiliate, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector stated that the boat which collided with a ferry was privately-owned.

Officials referred to it as a mass casualty incident, but this does not mean there were fatalities because injuries were taken into consideration in the assessment.

We're (working) on a boat accident off the Memorial Causeway Bridge that resulted in numerous injuries. The fire department has declared it a mass casualty due to the large number of injured people," Clearwater Police Department stated in a press release on X.

(source: Reuters)