Eight people have been hospitalised after suffering injuries suspected to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning on a fishing vessel in Provincetown Harbour in Massachusetts.
At approximately 18:00 local time on Thursday, February 26, personnel from the Provincetown Police and Fire Departments responded to MacMillian Pier following a report of an unresponsive individual on a boat in the harbour.
Upon arrival, Provincetown Police officers entered the boat, identified as the fishing vessel Yankee Rose, and located a second unresponsive individual. First responders and the Provincetown harbourmaster extricated both patients, who were then transported to Cape Cod Hospital.
Due to the first responders' exposure to carbon monoxide, they were also evaluated.
A mass casualty Incident (MCI) was called due to the number of patients, which outnumbered the number of available ambulances. This MCI enabled Provincetown to request additional ambulances from surrounding communities.
In total, eight individuals were transported to Cape Cod Hospital for further evaluation, the Provincetown Police Department said in a social media post.
Six patients were discharged from hospital the following day, according to a US Coast Guard official.
The same official added that the coast guard has begun conducting an investigation into the incident.