More than a dozen people were injured when two tour boats crashed near Fisherman's Channel in Miami-Dade on Sunday afternoon, officials said.
More than 30 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units alongside City of Miami Fire, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to reports of a boat collision near PortMiami around 3:15 p.m.
At least 13 people were transported to a nearby hospital, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. At least one had to be airlifted.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said the collision involved The Obelix and The Thriller, which are both charter boats.
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"We usually don’t have accidents but yes, tour boats are always going through Fishermans Cut and Government Cut," Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Division Chief Horacio Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said some patients were evaluated and released on scene.
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"There were other people inside the boat, it was a tour boat that was involved, from Bayside. And the patients who had no complaints were all taken to back to Bayside," Rodriguez said.
Rabbi Yossi Harlig, of Chabad Center of Kendall and Pinecrest, said his sister and brother-in-law were on one of the boats with her four kids.
"My sister broke some bones, her husband broke some ribs, they feel on one end a lot of pain for what happened and concerned about the kids," Harlig said. "But they feel also thankful to God they were on the left side of the boat, that’s where the boat came in, the children were on the right side of the boat, they feel thankful that the kids weren’t on their side of the boat."
Harlig said the family members were in town to celebrate his son's bar mitzvah.
"My sister said she turned around the last second and saw the boat crashing right into her, what happened, they’re not even sure themselves," he said. "It was very traumatic for them, no kid should watch such an accident, seeing their parents on the floor, seeing other people bleeding, it was very traumatic for them."
What led up to the crash is unknown but is being investigated by the Coast Guard and FWC.
Coast Guard officials said the Obelix was operating as an illegal charter vessel and has been issued a “captain of the port order,” meaning they’re not able to sail because they're under investigation.
The owner of the Obelix told NBC6 no one on his boat was injured, but he didn't want to comment further.
The Thriller was issued a vessel inspection requirement that must be done before they can operate again, officials said.
This is a developing story. Check back with NBC6 for updates.
