Boat Explosion at Florida Marina Leaves 1 Dead and 5 Hospitalized, 3 with ‘Traumatic’ Injuries

A dramatic boat explosion at Lauderdale Marina, Florida has left one person dead and five others in the hospital, three of whom have “traumatic” injuries.

The incident — which was captured on an EarthCam that had been set up at the dock — began at approximately 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec, 23. The blaze initially started on one vessel but soon spread to another boat, per Ford Lauderdale Fire Rescue (FLFR), as reported by ABC News.

“We do believe the boat was at the fuel docks near the fuel pumps. We’re still determining whether it was actively fueling, that is unknown,” FLFR Deputy Fire Chief Garrett Pingol said, reported CBS News.

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FLFR posed a statement to X after the incident which said the search for a person who went “missing in the water” was concluded by the Broward Sheriff’s Office when they found them dead.

The fire department also shared that a total of six people had been injured, five of whom were transported to area hospitals, three with “traumatic injuries.” They posted videos of the horrifying explosion, subsequent blaze and rescue operation to X.

Witnesses at the scene told CBS that “chaos” quickly ensued after the initial blast.

“I felt the vibration through my body,” said Nate Hill, while Tamer Dimiati said that he saw “the top half of the boat fly up probably ten feet and come right back down.”

Maria Sanz told the outlet that she tried to help a casualty who was drowning while Dimiati said he witnessed a “guy on the boat,” who was “stumbling” and “bleeding from his mouth and arm.”

Officials are investigating exactly what caused the fire and the identity of the victims is still unknown, per FLFR.

PEOPLE contacted FLFR for an update but did not immediately receive a response.