MIAMI (AP) — Two youngsters had been killed and two extra are in crucial situation after a barge struck and sunk their boat, sending them overboard throughout a crusing camp in Miami on Monday, authorities mentioned.
All six folks on the crusing boat had been pulled from the water by responders, and 4 youngsters had been rushed to a close-by hospital the place two had been pronounced lifeless upon arrival, mentioned Petty Officer third Class Nicholas Strasburg, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Two of the six who had been rescued had been in “good situation,” Strasburg mentioned.
The six — one grownup and 5 youngsters — had been of their final week of the crusing camp for youngsters aged 7 to fifteen, in response to the Miami Yacht Membership.
“The complete MYC household is devastated by this horrible tragedy,” mentioned Emily Copeland, the commodore of the yacht membership, in a press release.
The crusing boat remained submerged beneath the barge in Biscayne Bay — a physique of water sandwiched between Miami and Miami Seashore the place there are a number of small islands, together with Star Island, peppered with ritzy mansions.
Throughout the U.S. final 12 months, there have been over 550 deaths in leisure boating, however solely a sliver of these — 43 — had been attributable to vessels crashing into one another, in response to Coast Guard statistics.
“The Coast Guard will conduct an intensive investigation,” mentioned Capt. Frank Florio, who heads the Coast Guard’s Miami sector, in a press release. “We stay steadfast in our dedication to accountability, enchancment, and the shared duty of making certain security at sea.”
Native tv stations confirmed first responders, some in scuba diving gear, in boats round what seems to be a barge. The Coast Guard is investigating the crash.
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Bedayn reported from Denver.
