MIAMI (AP) — Two more are in danger after two children are killed, and two more are sent overboard during a sailing camp in Miami after the barge collided and sunk the boat, authorities said.
All six on the sailing ship were pulled out of the water by a responder and rushed to a nearby hospital where four children were declared to have died on arrival, said Petty Officer Nicholas Strasberg, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Live: FWC shows details of the Clearwater Ferry collision halt
Two of the six people rescued were in “good condition,” Strasburg said.
According to the Miami Yacht Club, six adults and five children were there in the final week of sailing camp for children ages 7 to 15.
“The entire MYC family is devastated by this horrifying tragedy,” Yacht Club Commodore Emily Copeland said in a statement.
The sailing boat remained submerged under a barge in Biscayne Bay. The waters sandwiched between Miami and Miami beaches are home to several small islands of Star Island, scattered with Ridgee’s mansions.
Last year, more than 550 people died on recreational boats in the United States, but only 43 of them were caused by vessels colliding with each other, according to Coast Guard statistics.
“The Coast Guard will conduct a thorough investigation,” Colonel Frank Florio, who leads the Miamisector of the Coast Guard, said in a statement. “We remain immovable in our commitment to our shared responsibility to accountability, improvement and ensuring safety at sea.”
Local TV stations showed the first responders of scuba diving gear on a boat around what appears to be a barge. The Coast Guard is investigating the clash.
___
Bedain reported from Denver.
