A Memorial Day at sea turned into a disaster as nearly a dozen people were hospitalized in Florida after their boat appeared to explode and gush into flames in Fort Lauderdale.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that an investigation is underway to determine what caused the boat to explode and injure the 13 passengers on board near the Lauderdale Yacht Club.
“Reportedly, a vessel exploded around 5:45 pm w/ 13 ppl aboard, Mon. near the New River Triangle, Ft. Lauderdale,” the agency wrote in an alert on X. “Multiple injuries reported.”
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Coast Guard officials added that multiple agencies had been deployed to assist in the rescue.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that there were 11 individuals, including two children who were taken to the hospital, but said they were working to gather more information on what caused the explosion.
“The boat was anchored to a sandbar and when someone went to start it, for reasons unknown, it exploded when they tried to start it,” a Fire Department spokesman said.
“It was a pretty chaotic scene,” he added.
A dog was also on the boat, but was not injured, the fire official added.
Officials said 10 of the 11 victims were transported to a Miami hospital burn unit that specializes in burn treatments.
A person who was inside the yacht club at the time of the explosion told WSVN that he heard “a loud sound, but didn’t see any smoke.”
Clean-up efforts are now underway as the Coast Guard said “salvage is being arranged.”
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“It’s reported and the FL Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is leading the investigation,” the agency said.
The Coast Guard in Florida was kept busy as the incident came hours after another sector was called out to a rescue, where three boaters were saved 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,” the Coast Guard alerted.
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Coast Guard officials shared images of the yacht, showing a large fire coming from the vessel and debris spread out in the water.
The agency added that a good Samaritan rescued the three passengers on board the sinking ship.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]
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