A quiet sailing lesson turned harrowing when a violent crash against a barge tossed children into the waters. Now, a community is grieving unimaginable losses.
Two children were killed on July 28, 2025, after a small sailboat collided with a barge in Biscayne Bay near Miami Beach. The accident happened at 11:15 a.m. between Hibiscus Island and Monument Island.
The sailboat, part of a youth program operated by the Miami Yacht Club and the Youth Sailing Foundation, carried six children and one counselor. Emergency crews from multiple agencies were dispatched for search and rescue.
Biscayne Bay as seen from Bayfront Park in Miami, Florida on May 25, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
The victims were identified as two girls, ages seven and 13, who died at the scene, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Two other girls, ages eight and 11, were pulled from the water in critical condition and taken to a nearby hospital.
A 12-year-old girl and the 19-year-old camp counselor survived the crash and were not hospitalized. All six children were thrown into the water, and some were reportedly trapped beneath the barge before being rescued by emergency crews.
Aerial view of anchored boats off the Miami Yacht Club in Florida, on March 19, 2020. | Source: Getty Images
CBS News Miami interviewed children present at the scene who witnessed the crash. “All the kids went flying off,” said nine-year-old Enzo Pifer Eddy.
Another child who witnessed the crash said she could hear the screams of a girl, calling for help, coming from somewhere beneath the barge crane. “It was super sad and it was super scary,” she recalled.
Emergency crews respond to the boating collision in Miami Beach, Florida on July 28, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
The younger victim was identified as seven-year-old Mila Yankelevich, granddaughter of renowned Argentine television producers Cris Morena and Gustavo Yankelevich. Her parents, Tomas Yankelevich and actress Sofia Reca, spend their time between Surfside, Florida, and Argentina.
Family friends described Mila as joyful, with a love for singing, dancing, and wearing costumes. Relatives arrived in Miami shortly after the accident but declined to comment publicly on the tragedy.
The second victim was named by Chile’s San Pedro Nolasco School as 13-year-old Erin Victoria Ko Han. The school released an obituary post mourning her death and offering condolences to her family.
However, U.S. authorities have not formally confirmed her identity, and the Coast Guard has stated that official notifications are still underway.
Emergency crews from Miami Beach, the City of Miami, and Miami-Dade agencies responded to the scene within minutes. Three injured children were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where one remained in stable condition Monday evening.
The sailboat involved in the crash remains submerged beneath the barge, and authorities established a 250-yard safety zone around the site as recovery operations continue.
Gates to the Miami Yacht Club on Watson Island, Florida on Monday, July 28, 2025. | Source: Getty Images
In a statement, the Miami Yacht Club stood in solidarity with the Youth Sailing Foundation and expressed sorrow over the “unthinkable tragedy”, calling the young sailors part of the “family” that makes up their tight-knit community.
The club also announced that its campus and all partnering facilities would be “closed until further notice” out of respect for the victims, and to support the ongoing investigation.
The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the investigation into the collision. Commander Frank Florio vowed transparency, telling families, “Know that we grieve with you. We will not take this lightly and we will not forget. We owe you answers and we are committed to finding them.”
Investigators are testing the tugboat captain for alcohol and other substances, with results pending. Authorities are also conducting interviews and reviewing data from the scene to determine how the crash occurred.
Additional updates are expected as officials release findings. We extend our condolences to the families at this difficult time.
