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Cruise boat shuttle catches fire, 1 dead, 49 rescued from Gulf of Mexico waters

Cruise boat shuttle fire off Florida coast
Posted at 2:48 PM, Jan 14, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-15 13:33:33-05

One person has died from their injuries after a casino shuttle boat caught fire on Sunday afternoon on the Gulf Coast in Port Richey.

The shuttle boat was carrying 50 people to a casino ship when it became engulfed in flames forcing passengers and crew members to jump into the water on one of the coldest days of the season.

Fifteen people were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries such as chest pain, smoke inhalation and other injuries, authorities said.

Port Richey Police has confirmed that a 42-year-old female passenger who was hospitalized after experiencing "symptoms" on Sunday evening, later passed away. She was pronounced dead at 10:42 p.m. Sunday evening at Bayonet Point Regional Medical Center. The identity of the woman and cause of death has yet been released.