New York, Apr 28 (UNI) A private boat crashed into a ferry in the U.S. state of Florida on Sunday night, leaving one dead and 12 others injured.

The Clearwater Police Department confirmed the death of one person from the ferry, which had more than 40 people on board at the time of the collision.

"All of the injuries are from the ferry. The boat that struck the ferry fled the scene," said local police in a social media post.

The ferry came to rest on a sandbar just south of the Memorial Causeway bridge, and all patients and passengers have been evacuated, according to the post.

The local fire department declared it a mass casualty incident due to the number of injuries, prompting multiple trauma alerts and the airlifting of two seriously injured individuals by helicopter.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will handle the crash investigation, said the Clearwater Police Department.

UNI XINHUA ARN