The 11 injuries that came after a possible boat explosion in Miami may be tied to the boat’s hatches that were allegedly not open when the ignition was started, an eyewitness told local media outlet CBS12.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Juan Arias said first responders were dispatched around 12:48 p.m. on May 9, USA TODAY reported, after reports of an explosion<\/a> in the waters off Miami’s Haulover Sandbar.<\/p>\n Crews arrived and located multiple victims. Eleven people were treated at the scene before being transported to area hospitals. Arias told USA TODAY some of the victims sustained burn injuries, though he did not comment on the full extent of their conditions.<\/p>\n Officials told USA TODAY May 10 the cause of the possible explosion is is under investigation.<\/p>\n Ongoing investigation: Multiple people injured in possible boat explosion near Miami sandbar<\/a><\/p>\n Witness: ‘He blew people out of the boat’<\/p>\n Speaking to CBS News Miami, Patrick Lee, a boat charter captain who witnessed the incident, described seeing “three people fly out of the boat<\/a>” after the explosion. Lee speculated that gasoline fumes ignited after the boat was started, causing the explosion.<\/p>\n “People got on board, and he turned the key and didn\u2019t open the hatches, didn\u2019t turn on the blowers, and he blew people out of the boat,” Lee told the outlet.<\/p>\n