Granddaughter of famed TV producer killed in Miami boat horror while enjoying sailing
Mila Yankelevich, seven, was onboard a sailboat as part of the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation summer camp from the Miami Yacht Club, when it was overcome by a 60-foot barge at around 11am on Monday off the coast of Hibiscus Island in Biscayne Bay, Argentine newspaper La Nacion reports.
She and a still unidentified 13-year-old girl were pronounced dead on their way to the Ryder Trauma Center, according to the Miami Herald. Two others onboard the ship, ages eight and 11, remained in critical condition on Tuesday.
Yankelevich is 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 a quiet life in Surfside, Florida.
In a now heartbreaking tribute to mark Mila's birthday on February 12, her grandmother called her 'my girl with wings, my happy and free little fairy.'
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.'
But 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.
United States Coast Guard authorities are now continuing to investigate what may have caused the large barge to overtake the sailboat, causing it to capsize.
A witness at the scene, though, told WSVN that a crane on the barge 'completely destroyed the boat' carrying Mila and four other campers as well as a 19-year-old counselor. The counselor and a 12-year-old girl survived.
'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.
In a statement, Capt. Frank Florio, Commander of Coast Guard Sector Miami, said the department's 'hearts are with the families of those lost and all who have been affected by this tragedy.
'Incidents like this leave a lasting impact on our maritime community and reinforce the importance of learning from every loss.
'The Coast Guard will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the causal factors and identify steps to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.
'We remain steadfast in our commitment to accountability, improvement, and the shared responsibility of ensuring safety at sea.'
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