US authorities are investigating the cause of an explosion on board a boat that injured 11 people in Miami, southern Florida.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Juan Arias told reporters that emergency crews responded to reports of a “possible boat explosion” at Haulover Sandbar, a popular tourist location.
Eleven people were taken to local hospitals to be treated for burns and traumatic injuries, Arias said.
Officials have not revealed the cause of the explosion. The BBC has approached Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue for further details.
“We saw three people fly out of the boat,” eyewitness and local boat charter Patrick Lee told the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
“I just saw a lot of them with burns all over them, and I said that it’s a hot fire,” Lee added. “It is quick, but it’s high octane gasoline, and so a lot of them got burnt and it was an explosion.”
Videos from the scene appear to show a helicopter landing close to the Miami marina with emergency teams carrying at least one injured person on a stretcher.
Fire and rescue teams were joined by the US coast guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation in responding to the incident.
Haulover Sandbar is billed as a popular tourist marina in Miami, owing to its clear and shallow water.
By BBC News
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