Thirteen people injured after two tour airboats crash on lake

More than a dozen people were hospitalized after two airboats crashed on a lake in Florida.

Thirteen people were injured when the boats collided on Cypress Lake in Osceola County around 12.30pm on Monday, the US Coast Guard told WFTV.

Two captains and 28 passengers were on board the boats, according to Coast Guard officials.

The nature of the injuries was not immediately known.

The Coast Guard is investigation the crash because it involved two commercial vessels.

Authorities with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as well as the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash.

The airboats were running routine tours and were operated by Wild Florida Airboats & Gator Park.

‘Today at Wild Florida, two airboats collided while doing routine tours, resulting in passenger injuries,’ stated the company. ‘First, we would like to apologize to all visitors involved and pray for a speedy recovery for all injured parties.’

#USCG investigators from #PortCanaveral are responding to an incident on Cypress Lake in Kenansville, FL, involving two airboats colliding. Approximately 30 people were involved, and 13 injuries were reported. @MyFWC & @OsceolaSheriff were the responding agencies. pic.twitter.com/N9T2jszq9c

The company said it was cooperating with the official investigations and launched its own.

‘We are also conducting our own internal investigation to determine the cause of the incident,’ stated the company. ‘Wild Florida prides itself on not just having U.S. Coast Guard-approved airboats but also hiring licensed Master Captains who elevate our safety protocols.’

Wild Florida suspended all of its airboat activities until further notice.

Lake Cypress is in Kenansville, which is about 40 miles south of Orlando.

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