Florida authorities declare a ‘mass casualty’ in deadly boat crash near Clearwater

CLEARWATER, Fla. — One person has died and several were injured Sunday when a boat crashed into a ferry off the Memorial Causeway Bridge and then fled the scene, authorities said.

The Clearwater Police Department posted on X that there were multiple injuries and the crash had been declared “a mass casualty incident” by the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department due to the number of injuries.

All of those injured were aboard the ferry, which was carrying more than 40 people. Police did not provide any information about the person who died.

The ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the Memorial Causeway bridge and all patients and passengers have been removed.

Police did not immediately provide any information about the boat that fled the scene.

Authorities did not immediately provide the number of those who were hurt.

“All local hospitals have been notified. Multiple trauma alerts have been called with helicopters transporting two of the more seriously injured,” the post said.

Videos on social media showed several first responders rushing to the scene with lights flashing.

Police cautioned drivers to avoid Memorial Causeway.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission will investigate the crash.

 

HBO’s new Billy Joel documentary is revelatory — even if it pulls some punches

The new two-part documentary, which premieres Friday on HBO, is a good example of the tension between access and objectivity that filmmakers face in making documentaries on celebrities.

A wildfire destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. It burned down once before

The Grand Canyon Lodge is the only hotel on the park's North Rim, which is closed for the rest of the season due to wildfire risk. The hotel was already rebuilt once, after a kitchen fire in 1932.

Why the Federal Reserve’s building renovations are attracting the White House’s ire

The Fed's $2.5 billion headquarters renovation is attracting mounting criticism from the Trump administration, which had been already attacking the central bank for not cutting interest rates.

Supreme Court says Trump’s efforts to close the Education Department can continue

The Trump administration had appealed a decision that had directed it to stop gutting the U.S. Education Department and to reinstate many of the workers the government had laid off.

24 states sue Trump admin to unfreeze more than $6 billion in education grants

The lawsuit comes two weeks after the Trump administration first notified states it was withholding previously approved funds for migrant education, before- and after- school programs and more.

Where to start? This week’s new releases are an all-you-can-read buffet

This week, new horror from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a funny college do-over from Jeneva Rose, and autofiction from Hannah Pittard. Plus, stories about the American South, and a deep dive into the Earth.

More Front Page Coverage