At least 11 injured in Florida in suspected boat explosion due to gas leak

While officials have not revealed the cause of the incident, a person who was on the boat attributed the blast to a gas leak. According to preliminary information provided by the state fish and wildlife commission, the explosion occurred onboard a charter boat.

In Short

• Initial information suggests the blast occurred onboard a charter boat
• Florida wildlife officers and the US Coast Guard joined rescue operations
• First responders transported 11 injured people to nearby hospitals

At least 11 people were injured on Saturday (local time) in what authorities described as a "possible vessel explosion" near Haulover Sandbar, a popular tourist destination close to Miami Beach in US's Florida.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said it received a report of a "possible explosion" in the vicinity of Haulover Sandbar. Teams of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the US Coast Guard also responded to the incident.

Eleven people were rushed to local hospitals by the first responders. Officials have not revealed the cause of the incident. However, in an interview with a news outlet, a person who was on the boat attributed the blast to a gas leak.

According to preliminary information provided by the state fish and wildlife commission, the explosion occurred onboard a charter boat that was in Biscayne Bay, near Haulover Sandbar, the Associated Press reported.

More than two dozen rescue units were pressed into action following the incident, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in a statement, adding that the first responders "encountered multiple patients requiring medical attention."

Initially, neither the fire department nor the fish and wildlife conservation commission provided any information about the condition of the people who were injured.

An investigation has been initiated into the incident, per the conversation commission.

- Ends
(With inputs from agencies)