Three young girls lost their lives and one other was injured following a collision between a barge and a sailboat during a youth sailing camp in Biscayne Bay near Miami Beach, Florida, on the morning of July 28, 2025. The accident occurred at approximately 11:15 a.m. between Hibiscus Island and Monument Island, as reported by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Six individuals were on board the sailboat at the time, including five children and a 19-year-old instructor. All six were ejected into the water upon impact and were subsequently rescued by emergency teams from Miami Beach, Miami, and Miami-Dade County. They were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.
A seven-year-old girl, Mila Yankelevich, and a 13-year-old girl, Erin Ko Han, were declared dead upon arrival. A third child, 10-year-old Arielle Mazi Buchman, who had been critically injured, died in the hospital on August 3, bringing the death toll to three.
Another child, seven-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber, was hospitalized after being trapped under the barge. She was discharged from the hospital on August 1.
A 12-year-old girl and the instructor were rescued and did not require hospitalization, according to Coast Guard officials.
The children were participating in a summer sailing program operated by the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation through the Miami Yacht Club. The program teaches sailing fundamentals to children aged seven to 15 years old.
Surveillance footage captured the moment of impact, showing the barge slamming into the sailboat on the water. Young witnesses who observed the crash described seeing all occupants thrown from the vessel. Enzo Piffartti, a nine-year-old attending a nearby sailing camp, indicated that all the kids went flying off the boat and that some had to be taken to the hospital.
Another eight-year-old witness reported hearing a girl shouting for help beneath the barge’s crane following the collision. Some children were reportedly trapped beneath the barge immediately after the crash, prompting an extensive rescue operation involving multiple agencies.
The Coast Guard established a 250-yard safety zone around the crash site, where the sailboat remained submerged beneath the barge as of Monday evening. Emergency responders, including personnel in scuba diving gear, worked at the scene throughout the day.
Emily Copeland, commodore of the Miami Yacht Club, expressed that the entire organization was devastated by the incident. The yacht club announced it would remain closed until further notice following the tragedy.
Captain Frank Florio, commander of Coast Guard Sector Miami, stated that the agency’s hearts are with the families of those lost and all affected by the tragedy. Florio indicated that incidents like this leave a lasting impact on the maritime community and reinforce the importance of learning from every loss.
The Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have launched a comprehensive investigation into the collision. Officials stated they are actively gathering all available facts to understand the situation fully and determine the causal factors that led to the incident.
Local boat owners familiar with the area reported frequently seeing sailing camp participants practicing on the water during morning and afternoon sessions. One woman who owns a boat in the area described regularly interacting with the young sailors, who would greet her and her dog during their sailing activities.
The woman indicated she did not witness the actual collision but observed first responders rushing to the area. She stated that upon seeing the emergency response, she immediately knew it involved one of the children from the sailing program.
According to Coast Guard statistics, recreational boating fatalities caused by vessel-to-vessel collisions are relatively uncommon. In 2024, only 43 of more than 550 recreational boating deaths resulted from crashes between vessels.
The investigation remains ongoing as officials work to determine the circumstances that led to the fatal collision in the busy waterway between Miami and Miami Beach.