Two people were killed and 10 rescued after two boats collided in Florida’s Biscayne Bay on Friday, the US Coast Guard said.
A person involved in the boat collision notified Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders of the incident at approximately 10.30pm, reporting that 12 people were in the water about one mile west of Key Biscayne.
“Coast Guard Station Miami Beach small boat crews and a Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew rescued 10 people and recovered one body from the water,” a statement said.
The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crew recovered the second body from the water. Authorities have not yet revealed their identities.
The Coast Guard revealed that a swimmer was “lowered to a Station Miami Beach small boat and assisted two critically injured survivors and transferred one of them to a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crew who brought the survivor to Jackson Memorial Medical Center for higher medical care”.
Small boat crews from the Miami Beach station transferred the remaining survivors to Mercy Hospital.
“On behalf of the Coast Guard and our partner agencies, we’d like to offer our sincerest condolences to the families and friends who lost their loved ones,” said lieutenant commander Benjamin Tuxhorn, Coast Guard Sector Miami search and rescue mission coordinator.
“The Coast Guard and our local partner agencies quickly responded and exhaustively worked together on this search and rescue case.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident.
