TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Several people were rescued from an airboat after it flipped on its side in the Florida Everglades Friday afternoon.
According to NBC affiliate WTVJ, the boat overturned near Coopertown, just off Tamiami Trail after the driver took a sharp U-turn to allow a passenger to get a close look at a gator in the water, causing the boat to overturn.
The video shows the airboat partially submerged, on its side in the water. Officials surrounded the area, blocking off the entrance to the water.
Passengers told WTVJ that they were rescued approximately 10 minutes after the boat flipped, as some passengers stood on top of the boat waiting for help to arrive. One person was reportedly injured but didn’t require hospitalization, but most walked away from the incident with minor scratches.
“At first scary, my first thought was about my wife and family members and then I thought about the alligator that was nearby,” one passenger told WTVJ. “So the driver tried to do a sharp u-turn to go see an alligator, he took the turn too sharp, some water went into the boat and it flipped over.”
