Memorial Day boat explosion in Florida sends 11 people to the hospital

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A fiery boat explosion near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Memorial Day sent 11 people to the hospital, many suffering from burns, officials said Tuesday.

The 39-foot (12-meter) Sea Ray boat had 15 people on board when the explosion happened at around 6 p.m. on Monday, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which said the cause of the blast is being investigated.

The boat was traveling along the Intracoastal Waterway when the explosion occurred, FWC officials said. Two of the victims are children.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene on the busy holiday weekend.

“When they went to start their boat up, it just exploded,” witness Brett Triano told WPLG-TV. “There was a huge fireball and people were kind of falling off the boat.”