Overview

• The Miami-Dade medical examiner ruled on August 6 that 10-year-old Arielle “Ari” Buchman died from drowning complications after the June 28 collision that had already killed Mila Yankelevich and Erin Ko.
• U.S. Coast Guard toxicology tests on all involved returned negative results, narrowing investigators’ emphasis to navigational factors and vessel condition.
• Federal, state and local agencies have invited Argentina’s transport board and Chile’s DIRECTEMAR to join a joint probe into barge ownership and licensing exemptions for small tug operators.
• A 7-year-old student trapped under the barge swam to safety and is now recovering at home after hospital treatment, and an instructor plus another child were treated at the scene.
• Families and community leaders are demanding stricter commercial vessel licensing and strengthened safety protocols for recreational sailing in Biscayne Bay.