Tragic reports are speaking about at least one person being killed and a dozen more getting injured after shocking new images emerged that showed a ferry that was damaged in a collision with a private vessel.
The survivors were reportedly rushed to safety.
The US Coast Guard and police swiftly declared the Sunday night tragedy a mass casualty event as they worked through the night to pull people ashore.
The Clearwater Ferry was shuttling festivalgoers to and from the final night of the 17-day Sugar Sand Festival when it was hit by a private boat carrying six individuals.
That boat swiftly fled the scene as the ferry carrying 43 passengers and two crew members was forced to come to a standstill near the Memorial Causeway Bridge.
The boat swiftly fled the scene as the ferry carrying 43 passengers and two crew was forced to come to a rest on a sandbar near the Memorial Causeway Bridge.
Extraordinary photos showed the sheer extent of the damage to the small ferry, with parts of the roof entirely torn down and plastic chairs collapsed in on themselves from the impact of the collision.
Other images captured the exact moment the passengers were led to safety on shore with brave first responders standing on the sandbank as they assessed the ferry.
As a whole, six passengers were called trauma patients, and they were seen rushing to different hospitals around the state.
Two of them needed to be airlifted to the hospital in the two medical helicopters that arrived to assist.