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US authorities are investigating the causes of an explosion aboard a boat that injured 11 people in Miami, south 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 spot.
Eleven people were transported to local hospitals to be treated for burns and traumatic injuries, Arias said.
Authorities have not revealed the cause of the explosion. The BBC has contacted Miami-Dad Fire and Rescue for further details.
“We saw three people flying off the boat,” Patrick Lee, an eyewitness and local boat rental operator, told BBC News, the BBC’s US partner.
“I saw a lot of them with burns everywhere, and I said it was a hot fire,” Lee added. “It’s fast, but it’s high-octane gasoline, so a lot of them were burned and there was an explosion.”
Videos from the scene appear to show a helicopter landing near the Miami Marina with emergency crews carrying at least one injured person on a stretcher.
Fire and rescue crews were joined by the U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation in responding to the incident.
Haulover Sandbar is considered a popular tourist marina in Miami, due to its clear, shallow waters.
