At Least 11 Hospitalized After Suspected Boat Explosion In Miami

At least 11 people were hospitalized after a suspected boat explosion at a Miami sandbar on Saturday, officials said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said that the suspected explosion was reported after 12:30 p.m. More than two dozen teams and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission headed to the site of the incident near the Haulover Sandbar, CNBC reported.

Some of the hospitalized persons reportedly suffered from burns, the Miami Dade fire rescue battalion chief Juan Arias was quoted as saying by the CNBC. Information regarding the health condition of those hospitalized has not trickled in.

It is not yet clear what caused the reported explosion. The incident occurred on board a charter that was ferrying about 14 people. The Miami ⁠Herald reported, citing one person on board the cruise as saying a gas ​leak would have been the probable trigger for the blast.

The report identified the boat as a Press Cruiser 400 Express, a 40-foot cabin cruiser called Nauti Nabors. The vessel has been registered in Sherman, Texas.

Accordion to the US Coast Guard database, the Nauti Nabors has been listed as a recreational vessel. The Florida Fish and Wildlife officials said it had been operating as a charter boat.

A report by Sky News put the number of those with injuries at 15. A probe by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is on, the Associated Press reported.

The commission said after a preliminary inspection the charter boat was in Biscayne Bay near Haulover Sandbar when the blast occurred.

The state Conservation Commission also said an investigation is on. The US Coast Guard was also among the rescue units that responded, AP reported. The rescue crew that arrived on the scene escalated the incident to a Level 2 Mass Casualty event, CNBC reported.

The Haulover Sandbar, considered a major boating site, attracts hordes of tourists during spring and other vacations.

A local businessman said he was navigating his boat to another vessel on the water when he heard the blast, the Miami Herald reported.

“We saw three people flying off the boat in a puff of smoke,” Lee said.
Fire service authorities have urged tourists to take strict safety precautions, as the waterways are crowded with vessels during this season.

Officials said tour operators should ensure that an experienced operator or captain should be on board all recreational cruises. Boat owners have also been urged to have working communication devices, life jackets, and fire extinguishers on board to deal with such mishaps.