At least 11 in Miami area injured by 'possible' boat explosion, officials say

SAN FRANCISCO - At least 11 people were injured on Saturday in what Miami-Dade Fire Rescue described as a "possible vessel explosion" near a popular tourist attraction close to Miami Beach.

• Miami-Dade Fire Rescue received a report of a "possible explosion" at 12:48 p.m. Eastern Time (1648 GMT) in the vicinity of Haulover Sandbar, a popular tourist destination. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and the U.S. Coast Guard also responded.

• First responders took 11 people to local hospitals.

• Officials have not revealed a cause for the incident. But in an interview with the Miami Herald, one person who was on the vessel blamed a gas leak.

(Reporting by Max A. Cherney in San Francisco; Editing by Sergio Non and Nick Zieminski)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 4:58 PM.