Miami, Florida - At least 11 people have been hospitalized after a suspected boat explosion at a Miami sandbar on Saturday left them with burns and traumatic injuries.

Miami's fire rescue battalion responded to reports at around 12:45 PM on Saturday that a number of people were in need of help after a boat exploded near the Haulover Sandbar near Bal Harbor.

The incident occurred on a 40-foot charter boat with about 14 people on board. It is unclear what caused the explosion, which ended up sending at least 11 people to hospital.

"When we looked back out, we saw three people flying off the boat in a puff of smoke," Patrick Lee, a South Floridian boat captain, told the Miami Herald.

Lee saw the explosion as he manned his Tiki boat. He said that many of the people on the boat appeared to have severe burns.

Over 25 Miami-based emergency services crews assisted in the rescue of those onboard, including the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the US Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is now conducting an investigation into the incident.

Immediately after the boat explosion, a single fire rescue boat rushed to its aid. Having realized the extent of the disaster, dozens of emergency workers immediately descended on the area.

Burn victims were dragged from the water by rescue crews and sped off to nearby hospitals. When asked how many people were injured, one firefighter told a dispatcher, "They keep coming… We just aren't sure right now."

"Upon arrivals, our units found multiple patients with various injuries, some burns, some minor injuries," Miami Dade Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Juan Arias said in a statement to WPEC 12.

"We made it an MCI Level 2, which is a multi-casualty incident," he explained. "Injuries were from burn injuries to some traumatic injuries as well."