Man killed, cruise ships disrupted after 30-foot yacht hits ferry near Miami port

A man was killed and another was critically injured Sunday after a boat hit a ferry near Miami, authorities said. Access to PortMiami was limited for 11 hours after the 30-foot yacht struck a Fisher Island Ferry in the channel near Dodge Island around 3 a.m., CBS Miami reported.

The ferry crew successfully retrieved one person who was taken to the hospital in critical condition, the station reported. While being taken to the hospital, he told paramedics that his friend was still missing.

A Miami police dive team was called in, and the missing man was later found dead, the station reported.

The U.S. Coast Guard closed the port while the investigation took place and crews worked to remove the sunken yacht from the waterway. More than 16,000 passengers that were returning to the port on three cruise lines were forced to wait at sea and about the same number of people waiting to board those ships were stuck in the terminal, CBS Miami reported.

Nick Pirozzi told the station that he and thousands of other cruise ship passengers were stranded for hours without communication from the cruise line.

“We were supposed to be going to the Dominican Republic. Supposed to be at sea leaving at seven o’clock. However, we’re still here in the cruise terminal. There’s little food, little water on board the ship, it was a madhouse. There were actually a couple of fistfights that broke out,” he told CBS Miami.

Just after 2:30 pm., the Coast Guard said PortMiami had reopened, the station reported.