MIAMI -- Nine people have been hospitalized after two boats carrying 18 people collided Sunday afternoon at popular Sand Cut near Elliott Key in Biscayne National Park.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Jorge Pino, it is believed the crash occurred around 6:30 p.m. when a 28-foot Wellcraft carrying two boaters struck a 36-foot Carrera powerboat with 16 people aboard.
"By all accounts it appears it was kind of a t-bone type of collision," he told The Huffington Post, adding that witness were still being interviewed.
Three people are believed to have been seriously injured. Pino said one person was airlifted to hospital and eight were transported by ambulance. Others were treated on scene for minor injuries.
"The Coast Guard brought them in," a witness told WSVN, describing some of the passengers as children. "They were coming in real fast."
According to the Associated Press, the Wellcraft sank after the collision.
“We’re very fortunate no one was killed,” Pino told the Miami Herald. He said investigators would determine whether the Carrerra group was violating laws related to the number of passengers and appropriate safety equipment.