Eleven people suffered injuries requiring hospitalisation after a charter boat suffered an onboard explosion off Miami, Florida, on Saturday, May 9.
The unnamed vessel was in Biscayne Bay with several passengers on board at the time of the incident, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said in a statement.
The FWC has advised that the investigation into the incident is ongoing and that a full report will be available through a public records request upon the completion of the investigation.
Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue, which had deployed one of its response boats to render assistance, said there were calls sent out about the blast at around 12:48 local time on Saturday.
An eyewitness told local news outlet CBS that the boat’s captain had not opened the hatches or activated the exhaust fans when he turned the key to the ignition, thus triggering a blast that caused a number of passengers to be thrown overboard.
The condition of the hospitalised individuals remains unknown.
