13 injured in boat explosion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Thirteen people were injured after a vessel exploded in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to officials. Children are among the victims.

The explosion occurred at approximately 5:45 p.m. on Monday while the vessel, which had 13 people on board, was in the water near the New River Triangle, the U.S. Coast Guard’s Seventh District said.

The Coast Guard, along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Broward Sheriff’s Office, and Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, responded to the scene and transferred all individuals to emergency medical services.

According to CBS12, the injured were initially transported to Broward General Hospital. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue officials said several people with significant burns were later transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, which has a dedicated burn unit. The current conditions of the victims have not been disclosed.

“When they went to start their boat up, it just exploded,” a witness, Brett Triano, told WPLG. “There was a huge fireball and people were kinda falling off the boat.”

FLFR spokesperson Frank Guzman told WPLG that multiple victims were classified as level one trauma patients, noting that many had burns covering large portions of their bodies.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.