Boat crash video shows Clearwater ferry collision that left one dead: Live updates
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A horror ferry crash in Clearwater, Florida, has left one dead and at least a dozen injured, many of them seriously, in what officials called a 'mass casualty' accident.
Officials say a private boat struck the ferry near the Memorial Causeway bridge on Sunday night before speeding away from the scene.
The US Coast Guard said in a social media post that on-scene reports indicate that all 45 people on the ferry and all six people on the boat were accounted for. In an update on Monday morning, the Coast Guard said 12 people were taken to a local hospital.
All of those injured were aboard the ferry. Police did not provide any information about the person who died.
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.
15:50
Weather was ideal on Sunday
he water was calm and the skies were clear Sunday evening when a boat crashed into the Clearwater Ferry on the final day of a sand-sculpting festival, killing one person and injuring at least 12 others, officials said.
15:48
Watch: Moment boat smashes into ferry
Shocking footage shows the moment a proivate boat smashed into a ferry in Clearwater, Florida, on Sunday.
One person was killed in the crash and a doozen others were injured.
Police said they have found the private boat three hours after it sped away from the scene.
15:40
Police say they found driver of boat that crashed into ferry
Officials said they found the driver of the private boat, which alegedly fled the scene, three hours after the collision on Sunday night.
The driver was found by a partnering law enforcement agency, Clearwater police said.
The driver's identity has not been released and it's unclear if impairment is suspected.
14:30
Ferry had over 40 people passengers when crash happened
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.
The ferry can hold up to 50 people.
The U.S. Coast Guard said in a social media post that on-scene reports indicate that all 45 people on the ferry and all six people on the boat were accounted for. In an update on Monday morning, the Coast Guard said 12 people were taken to a local hospital.
14:15
Police have yet to release details of private boat
Officials have only said they vbelieve they have found the provate boat that crashed against the ferry on Sunday.
However, they have not released the name of the boat's owner or whether he has been questioned.
It's also unclear if the owner is in custody.
14:00
Pictured: First-responders work to rescue ferry passengers
13:45
Ferry passengers describe being hit from behind
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 occurred. 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.'
13:30
No additional information on private boat
The private boar 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.
13:15
Clearwater had been celebrating a festival
Sunday was the last day of the Sugar Sand Festival, a 17-day sand sculpting festival in Clearwater Beach.
13:00
All ferry passengers are accounted for
The U.S. Coast Guard said in a social media post that on-scene reports indicate that all 45 people on the ferry and all six people on the boat were accounted for.
In an update on Monday morning, the Coast Guard said 12 people were taken to a local hospital.
12:45
Shocking images of Clearwater ferry crash scene
12:40
Pregnant woman said her baby stopped moving after ferry crash
A distressed-looking pregnant woman who was aboard a ferry that crashed in Florida said she could not feel her baby moving as she headed to the hospital.
Brenda Alvarez, who is 31 weeks pregnant, said she could not feel her baby moving after the ferry she and her family were on was struck by a private boat in Clearwater.
12:37
At least one killed in 'mass casualty event' in Clearwater
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 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.