Florida (USA) - A trip on a ferry in the US state of Florida that was meant to be relaxing ended with serious injuries for numerous passengers, and one person even died.

According to the Clearwater Police Department on X, a boat rammed the Clearwater ferry off the Memorial Causeway Bridge on Sunday evening and then fled the scene of the accident.

As a result of the collision, around 40 passengers on the ferry suffered injuries, some of them serious. The fire department therefore classified the accident as a "mass casualty incident".

In an update, the responsible rescue services explained that the ferry had come to a halt on a nearby sandbank. All passengers and injured persons were immediately evacuated from the ship.

Meanwhile, surrounding hospitals were put on standby in advance. Two seriously injured passengers were taken to hospitals by helicopter. There are reportedly no missing persons.

But then, a few hours ago, the tragic news: one of the passengers succumbed to his serious injuries as a result of the crash.

The police are now investigating who caused the accident and how it happened.