A Memorial Day at sea turned into a disaster, with almost a dozen passengers hospitalised in Florida after their boat appeared to explode and burst into flames in Fort Lauderdale.
The United States Coast Guard said an investigation is underway to establish what caused the boat to explode and hurt the 13 persons on board near the Lauderdale Yacht Club.
“A vessel reportedly exploded around 5:45 p.m. on Monday near the New River Triangle in Ft. Lauderdale,” the agency wrote in an X notice. “Multiple injuries reported.”
According to Coast Guard personnel, numerous agencies have been deployed to assist with the rescue.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that 11 people, including two children, were brought to the hospital, but said they were still gathering additional information about what caused the explosion.
“The boat was anchored to a sandbar, and when someone attempted to start it, it exploded for unknown reasons,” a Fire Department spokeswoman stated.
“It was a pretty chaotic scene,” he added.
A dog was also on the boat, but it was not wounded, according to the fire official.
According to officials, ten of the eleven wounded were brought to a Miami hospital burn unit that specialises in burn treatments.
A guy who was inside the yacht club during the explosion told WSVN that he heard “a loud sound, but didn’t see any smoke.”
Clean-up activities are now beginning, with the Coast Guard stating that “salvage is being arranged.”
“It’s reported and the FL Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is leading the investigation,” said the organisation.
The Coast Guard in Florida was kept busy as the event occurred just hours after another sector was dispatched to a rescue of three boaters from a sinking yacht that caught fire near Palm Beach.
“Sector Miami is warning mariners about debris in the water after a 48ft yacht sank when it caught fire off Jupiter Inlet,” said a Coast Guard spokesperson.
Coast Guard authorities provided photographs of the boat, which showed a massive fire originating from the vessel and wreckage scattered in the ocean.
