A Memorial Day evening boat explosion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, resulted in the hospitalization of nearly a dozen people, including two children. The incident occurred at approximately 5:45 p.m. near the New River Triangle, close to the Lauderdale Yacht Club on Southeast 12th Court.

The Incident

According to U.S.Coast Guard officials,there were 13 people aboard the vessel when the explosion occurred. The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation commission (FWC) and fire officials.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue spokesman Frank Guzman described the immediate aftermath: for reasons that we don’t know yet, a boat exploded, it tossed people into the water, good Samaritans came over right away and started rescuing them. He added, It’s too soon to know how this happened. We have a fire investigator on scene, as well.

Eyewitness Accounts and Rescue efforts

Surveillance footage captured the moment of the explosion, showing a fireball erupting and people being thrown into the water. Several witnesses recounted the harrowing scene.

when they went to start their boat up, it just exploded. There was a huge fireball and people were kind of falling off the boat.

Bret Triano, Witness

Mr. Triano and marisa Toomesn, who were nearby on a dinghy, participated in the rescue efforts.We were at the sandbar too and we just tried to go help out, Triano said. They managed to rescue at least one individual.

There were a couple boats trying to pick people up and one guy just didn’t get picked up so we went over to him. He was screaming.

Bret Triano,Witness

Toomesn added,He was burned pretty badly. Triano further described the victim’s desperate pleas: He was saying, ‘Save me. Please, don’t let me die. I’m so hot, I need water.’ He just kept repeating, ‘I want water, I want water.’

Injuries and Medical Response

Mr. Guzman confirmed that 11 patients, including two children, were initially transported to Broward Health medical Center. Due to the severity of their burns, several patients were subsequently transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital, which has a specialized burn unit.

A number of the patients had important burns and are being transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where they have a burn unit, Guzman stated. A lot of them had burns to much of their body. Jackson Memorial Hospital reported receiving 10 patients: eight adults in good condition and two children in fair condition. One patient required intubation.

Victim’s Account

Antonio Rivero, who was on the boat wiht family members, recounted the moments leading up to the explosion.

Tried to fuel up the boat, and must have been a gas leak and, you know, spark went off and explosion. One of the guys’ pants were blown off, so it was bad.

Antonio Rivero, Victim

Mr. Rivero, 32, sustained burns to his arm. His wife, Cassandra, and their two children remained hospitalized Monday night. he reported, They’re OK as they’re on a lot of meds, but other than that they’re fine.

Multi-Agency response

Aerial footage showed a coordinated response from multiple agencies, including Fort Lauderdale Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, assisting Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. Crews were observed examining the damaged boat, which was secured to a nearby sea wall. A dog that had been on board was rescued without injury,according to Mr. Guzman.