2 kids killed at Miami sailing camp after barge collides with their boat, authorities say
All six people on the sailing boat were pulled from the water by responders, and four kids were rushed to a nearby hospital where two were pronounced dead upon arrival, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Strasburg, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard.
The six — one adult and five kids — were in their last week of the sailing camp for kids from 7 to 15 years old, according to the Miami Yacht Club.
'The entire MYC family is devastated by this terrible tragedy,' said Emily Copeland, the commodore of the yacht club, in a statement.
Two of the six who were rescued were in 'good condition," Strasburg said.
Last year, there were over 550 deaths in recreational boating, of which 43 were caused by vessels crashing into each other, according to Coast Guard statistics.
The boats collided near Star Island, which runs between Miami Beach and Miami in Biscayne Bay, said Arielle Callender, a regional spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in a statement.
Local television stations showed first responders, some in scuba diving gear, in boats around what appears to be a barge. The Coast Guard is investigating the crash.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Unsettled by NYC shooting, companies wonder if their offices are safe
Businesses around the country are reevaluating security after a brazen shooting at a New York City office building raised questions about what it takes to keep workplaces safe. The attack on a seemingly secure building — in a gilded part of Manhattan where the rich live in sprawling apartments and tourists window-shop designer stores — has rattled workers and prompted managers to examine whether they are adequately protected. 'What should we be doing different?' clients are asking, said Brian Higgins, founder of Group 77, a Mahwah, New Jersey, security company that is among those getting peppered with an influx of calls. 'How can we prevent something like this?' The gut reaction of some companies, Higgins said, is to buy the latest technology and blanket their workplace in cameras. But, he cautioned, that's only only effective if paired with consistency and long-term monitoring. 'If you're going to add a security measure … you have to make sure you maintain it,' said Higgins, a former police chief who teaches security at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Four people were killed in the shooting Monday before the gunman died by suicide. Images of the shooter, toting a long rifle on a street in the biggest U.S. city, then terrorizing an office building, have companies desperate to do something to keep the scene from repeating. ' People are frightened, people are asking questions,' said Dave Komendat, the Seattle-based chief security officer at Corporate Security Advisors, where calls are also spiking. With the U.S. locked in a pattern of gun violence virtually unparalleled in the world, security firms are used to the rhythms of the business. While attacks at a corporate office are less commonplace, a major shooting or an attack on an executive focuses attention back on security for a time, before receding. 'Give it a couple weeks, a month or so, it'll go back,' Higgins said of the increased call volume. 'When security issues don't happen for a while and companies start reexamining their budget, security is one of those things that companies cut.' Gene Petrino, CEO of Survival Response in Coral Springs, Florida, has also seen an uptick in calls from potential new customers, but expects it to be fleeting. 'When things are calm it's seen as an expense they don't need right away,' he said, 'and then when a tragedy happens it's a priority again.' Petrino said companies can make changes that aren't intrusive like using cameras with artificial intelligence capabilities to identify weapons. Sometimes, it may just be a matter of improving lighting in a hallway or putting up convex mirrors to see around a corner. 'Everything doesn't have to be bulletproof and locked with security cameras everywhere,' he said. 'You don't have to be Fort Knox. You can have very basic things.' Michael Evanoff, chief security officer of Verkada, a building security company based in San Mateo, California, said technology like AI-enabled cameras to help identify threats have become even more important amid a shortage of guards. 'It's harder than many realize to find and retain trained personnel,' Evanoff said. 'That makes it even more essential that guards are equipped with technology that can extend their reach.' Security at 345 Park Avenue, the site of the shooting, included an off-duty New York Police Department officer working as a guard. He was among those killed. Rudin, the leasing company that manages the building, did not respond to a query about when the building will reopen or whether new security measures will be implemented. No matter what, though, every workplace has vulnerabilities. 'The security team has to be perfect to 100% of the time,' said Komendat, a former chief security officer for Boeing. 'Someone like this just needs to be lucky once.'
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Girl, 13, who died alongside seven-year-old friend when barge struck their boat as they attended sailing camp
A 13-year-old girl from Chile has been identified as the second victim who died during the terrifying Miami sailboat crash. Erin Co died while onboard the boat as part of the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation summer camp when it suddenly collided with a 60-foot barge around 11am Monday in Biscayne Bay. Co was a student at San Pedro Nolasco School in Vitacura, Santiago, who recently moved to the US, the school said in a memorial post about her. She died alongside seven-year-old Mila Yankelevich, who was previously identified by Argentine newspaper La Nacion. They were among five children aboard the sunken sailboat. A 19-year-old camp counselor was also with them at the time. Co and Yankelevich were pronounced dead while on their way to Ryder Trauma Center, per the Miami Herald. Two other children, aged eight and 11, remain hospitalized in critical condition. The unidentified counselor and other child, 12, walked away unharmed. The sailboat was part of the Miami Yacht Club's youth sailing program, but since the incident, the program has been suspended while authorities investigate. The Coast Guard will look at both vessels. They have started recovering the sunken sailboat which will now be stored at the US Coast Guard base in Miami Beach. Capt. Frank Florio, Commander of Coast Guard Sector Miami said alcohol testing was conducted and results are pending. Florio said that the agency believes 'all of the girls were wearing life jackets' when the crash happened, based on interviews throughout the investigation. The investigation could take several months to complete for officials to determine what caused the deadly crash. A witness at the scene told WSVN that a crane on the barge 'completely destroyed the boat' carrying Mila and four other campers as well as the counselor. 'The boat just went under and I heard a girl shouting for help under the crane,' the witness recounted. Nine-year-old Enzo Pifer Eddy also told CBS News how 'all the kids went flying' in the aftermath. According to the Coast Guard's navigation rules, sailboats generally have the right of way over motorboats, but must yield the right of way to a vessel that is 'restricted in its ability to maneuver.' Determining whether a tugboat that was seen pushing the barge in the clash will now likely be a central focus for Coast Guard investigators. They said at a news conference they will also be questioning the captain of the barge as they noted that 'the area was safe for sailing' at the time. However, Miami Yacht Club member Katie Flood-Reiss told the Miami Herald that the sailboat's 19-year-old instructor would have had no chance of evading the barge in the bay. 'In those conditions, with almost no wind, it would have been impossible to turn that sailboat around quickly,' she explained. Yankelevich was the granddaughter of Cris Morena and Gustavo Yankelevich, two prominent Argentine producers. Her father, Tomas Yankelevich, is also a producer and director, while her mother, Sofia Reca, is an actress in Argentina. The family lived in Surfside, Florida. Yankelevich's grandmother called her 'my girl with wings, my happy and free little fairy,' in a now heartbreaking tribute she posted of her late granddaughter for her birthday in February. The sailboat was part of the Miami Yacht Club's youth sailing program She added in Spanish that their 'moments together [were] filled with dancing [and] songs' and said her granddaughter embodied 'the sun, freedom and hugs.' One year prior, in another social media post, Morena called her granddaughter 'my cutest little girl in the world... My red heart, my everything.' She went on to explain that she chose to include the song 'Todo Todo,' which translates to 'Everything, everything' for her slideshow 'because I believe that everything you wish for with your red heart, you will be able to have it... 'And always with a smile and that bright face looking at life, life will give you back a lot of light and a lot of love.' Sadly, this is not the first time the Yankelevich family was struck by tragedy. Morena and Gustavo, who passed away in 1995, had a daughter, Romino, who died in 2010 at the age of 36 from a heart attack.
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Notorious 'motel of ill-repute' set to be shut down after being overrun with sex workers
Seattle authorities are taking aim at a crime-ridden motel on a notorious avenue that's become synonymous with sex trafficking, drug deals, and violence. The Oaktree Motel - a 39-room property located on Aurora Avenue - has officially been labeled a 'chronic nuisance' by the Seattle Police Department, following nearly a year of escalating complaints and emergency calls. City officials say the business has repeatedly failed to curb the illegal activity taking place on-site - and now they're moving to shut it down. Police records show that officers responded to the motel 43 times in 2025 alone, including for overdoses, violent assaults, and weapons-related emergencies. In one recent case, a convicted human trafficker was arrested at the motel and told officers that his girlfriend - the motel manager - lived and worked there. Investigators say both the manager and the property owner have refused to cooperate with law enforcement. Police have documented more than a half-dozen serious crimes at the motel - including a fatal overdose, a guest shot on-site, and a drug bust that uncovered crack, meth, heroin, fentanyl, and thousands in cash. Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes criticized the motel's ownership for repeatedly disregarding public safety concerns. Seattle police have responded to the Oaktree Motel 43 times in 2025 alone, with incidents ranging from overdoses and assaults to weapons-related calls 'Time's up for irresponsible owners who turn a blind eye to criminal activity and human suffering,' Barnes said in a statement. 'For much of the past year, this motel owner has ignored requests to improve public safety at the Oaktree, putting the lives of employees, residents, visitors, passersby, and vulnerable populations in danger.' He added, 'By filing this chronic nuisance order we can improve public safety along the Aurora North corridor.' Under city law, the property owner, Madilyn Investments LLC, now has one week to respond to the official nuisance designation. If they fail to take corrective action, the City Attorney's Office could file suit, levy fines, or move to shut the motel down entirely. Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison voiced strong support for the action. 'I thoroughly support Chief Barnes and his decision to declare this a chronic nuisance property,' she said. The Oaktree is one of several motels on Aurora Avenue facing legal action as city officials move to dismantle trafficking networks and curb street-level prostitution 'I think it's crucial that we use every available strategy to stop the illegal drug activity, the use of weapons, and – most urgently – prostitution and human trafficking.' The Oaktree is just the latest in a series of motels along Aurora Avenue to face legal pressure. The area has been plagued by drugs and sex workers while dealing with a homeless crisis. In recent years, three other properties have received the same chronic nuisance label - one of which has since been sold to a commercial real estate developer.
