• One fatality confirmed and several injuries reported after a ferry collision in Clearwater, Florida.
• The crash involved a boat that fled the scene after striking the Clearwater Ferry.
• Authorities declared a mass casualty incident due to the number and severity of injuries.
• The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating.
• All patients and passengers were evacuated safely from the ferry.

One person has died and multiple others sustained serious injuries when a boat collided with a Clearwater Ferry on Sunday evening, just off the Memorial Causeway Bridge. The Clearwater Police Department reported that the crash was declared a "mass casualty incident" due to the number and severity of injuries, with all injuries occurring on the ferry, which had 45 people aboard at the time of the crash, according to CBS News, New York Times, and NPR.

Emergency responders were quick to the scene, where they transported two critically injured individuals by helicopter. The ferry ultimately came to rest on a sandbar south of the bridge, and fortunately, all passengers and crew were accounted for, as stated by Reuters and ABC News.

The Clearwater Fire Department's response to the incident included calling in multiple trauma alerts for local hospitals, highlighting the significant impact of the event during the busy final night of the Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater Beach, according to India Times and Newsweek.

Following the crash, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that they are leading an investigation into the fleeing vessel, which has been identified and located, according to various reports, including BBC and India Times.