11 Hospitalized After Boat Explosion Near Miami

A boat explosion occurred in Florida on Saturday.

Authorities in Florida reported nearly a dozen people have been hospitalized after a boat reportedly exploded near Miami.

The incident prompted a response from both fire rescue teams and the Coast Guard to a popular tourist sandbar where the boat exploded nearby.

AP reported more details on the explosion:

About a dozen people were taken to hospitals with injuries Saturday after a boat explosion near Miami, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue agency said.

The charter boat was in Biscayne Bay, near Haulover Sandbar, when the blast erupted on board, according to preliminary information from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

More than two dozen rescue units responded in the afternoon and “encountered multiple patients requiring medical attention,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in a statement. It said it transported 11 people to hospitals.

Neither agency provided any information about the condition of those who were injured.

The state Conservation Commission said an investigation is underway.

ABC reports:

At least 15 people were injured following a possible boat explosion at a popular south Florida sandbar near Miami. An investigation on what sparked the blast is now underway. @morganorwood reports on the Level 2 Mass Casualty Incident. https://t.co/wj0wXza9Bd pic.twitter.com/Q4XnYA1C6D

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) May 9, 2026

The incident was initially reported as a mass casualty event:

TERRIFYING | Boat explosion at Miami sandbar triggers mass casualty response, 11 hospitalized https://t.co/GBkcPOY29E pic.twitter.com/ubP8U3Q1Jt

— News 4 San Antonio (@News4SA) May 10, 2026

CBS News provided a statement from a witness:

Nearby boat charter Patrick Lee said he witnessed the incident.

“We saw three people fly out of the boat,” Lee said. “So this guy got in a hurry, and his people got on board, and he turned the key, and didn’t open the hatches. Didn’t turn on the blowers and he blew people out the boat.”

Lee said the boat was surrounded in flames within minutes, adding that several people were taken away on stretchers by paramedics.

“I just saw a lot of them with burns all over them, and I said that it’s a hot fire,” Lee said. “It is quick, but it’s high octane gasoline, and so a lot of them got burnt and it was an explosion.”

According to media partner, The Miami Herald, the boat was docked near the Haulover Marine Center a few hours after the incident. The Miami Herald identified the boat as a Press Cruiser 400 Express, a 40-foot cabin cruiser called Nauti Nabors, from Sherman, Texas.

According to the Herald, which cites the U.S. Coast Guard database, the vessel was certified for recreational use. FWC tells CBS News Miami that the boat was a charter vessel.

As investigators continue to investigate, we will provide you with updates.

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