Witness: Bodies all over the beach

PINE KEY - FOX 13 has obtained new photos of a boat explosion just moments after it happened. Tammy Connolly was visiting Pine Key, also known as Beer Can Island, with her husband and a few friends when the boat blew up.

“We were on the opposite side of the island when the boat exploded,” she said. “We weren’t there five minutes when we heard this huge explosion. It sounded like a cannon at Gasparilla.”

That’s when Connolly grabbed her camera and started taking pictures.

“I was hesitant to go over there at first because it was scary,” she said. “There were bodies all over the beach.”

Eleven people were on board the 33-foot, twin engine boat when it exploded Saturday around noon. Six of those people were air-lifted to Tampa General Hospital with serious injuries.  Their current conditions are not being released by hospital officials. 

Rescue crews say bystanders heard the blast and rushed out to help pull all of the boaters to safety. One man even jumped on the burning boat to see if anyone was left on board.

What’s left of the boat was towed back to shore yesterday. Investigators are now combing through the wreckage, looking for clues.

“They’re going to try and find where the fire originated and how it happened,” said Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer JoAnne Adams.

Investigators say it could take up to a month to find out exactly what caused the blast. However, witnesses believe a generator on board may have played a part.