The river's high water level and raging current turned the tugboat Anne Holly sideways, allowing the barges to escape, said Lou Draper, port engineer of American Boat Co., which owns the tug.īut Coast Guard officials said the water level, although high, was safe for travel.Ībout 50 people were able to escape across the casino's ramp before it fell into the water, passengers said. They hoped to have the boat back in place by late today or Monday. Officials worked through the night to remove passengers from the casino. When it hit, we thought it was going ,' said Fire Chief Stanley Newsome.ĭuring the crash, the casino's natural gas line was severed, but fire crews used water to disperse the gas, Newsome said. 'I was playing the machines, and the next thing I knew, there was a big boom, like a big jerk,' Paul Hudson said. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire.Panicked casino gamblers ran for the doors when three adrift barges rammed their riverboat, tumbling people to the floor, cutting off electricity and sending the motorless boat into the current. “It was so windy and they were soaking wet,” said Santangelo, adding he worried some might suffer from hypothermia. One woman collapsed on reaching shore and vomited, he said, adding he took about 30 of the passengers into his garage to warm up and recover. He told the Tampa Bay Times that he then saw people wandering about confused, wet and cold. Larry Santangelo, 57, said he had just driven into his neighbourhood Sunday afternoon when he saw smoke and fire. News footage at the site showed survivors cloaked in blankets trying to warm themselves after getting to shore. Pasco County Fire Rescue official Shawn Whited said many passengers who jumped into the water made their way to shore, while some were rescued by boats.

Tropical Breeze Casino Cruises didn’t immediately respond late Sunday to calls for information. They said the shuttle vessel was headed out to the casino ship at the time of the fire. The shuttle boat regularly carries people back and forth from the Tropical Breeze Casino Cruise, which is offshore because it can’t legally operate close to land, according to authorities.

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