The ferry was carrying people to and from the Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater, CNN affiliate WFTS reported.
“The collision happened around 8:40 p.m. Sunday near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge when a 37-foot recreational boat carrying about six people struck the 40-foot ferry carrying about 45 people — possibly up to 50 — according to Clearwater Police and Florida Fish and Wildlife.”
The recreational boat “overrode nearly three-quarters of the ferry,” said Clearwater Police Department Chief Eric Gandy during a Monday news conference.
Of the 10 people injured, six of them were transported to local hospitals as trauma alerts, Gandy said. The incident was declared “a mass casualty incident by the fire department due to the number of injuries,” according to Clearwater police.
The man who died was identified as Jose Castro, 41, of Palm Harbor, just a few miles north of Clearwater, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Hailee Seely.
Officials have not released the names of the people injured.
Brenda Alvarez, who is about eight months pregnant, was on the ferry with her husband and two young children when a crew member started yelling, “Hey, hey, hey!” the family told CNN affiliate WFTS.
Alvarez’s husband turned around to see a large boat “just come through” the ferry, he said.
The other boat “shattered the whole back of” the ferry and “left a huge dent,” Brenda Alvarez told WFTS. “We can’t understand how fast they were going.”
Officers arrived to find a “chaotic scene,” Clearwater police spokesperson Rob Shaw told CNN affiliate Bay News 9. Nearby “good Samaritans” used their own boats to help evacuate passengers.
The ferry came to rest on a sandbar, so some on board were able to walk to shore. But “firefighters had to go into the water and help some people,” Shaw said.
Kristin Vincelli, who was also leaving the festival, shared video with CNN showing emergency vehicles rushing toward the waterfront.
The recreational boat did not stay at the crash scene but it is unclear if the collision is being investigated as a hit-and-run, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Captain Matthew Dallarosa.
“There is evidence that shows that the (recreational boat) did remain there for a period of time and then ultimately ended up at the Belleair Boat Ramp,” Dallarosa said Monday.
Those injured in the collision were triaged at a separate boat ramp nearby, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife.
So far, authorities have released few details about the boat that hit the ferry.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be leading the investigation into the crash, Clearwater police said.
This story has been updated with additional information.