Overview

• A commercial barge struck the Miami Yacht Club’s youth sailing program boat in Biscayne Bay on July 28, capsizing it and throwing the adult counselor and five children into the water.
• All six occupants were recovered by a multi-agency dive and water rescue operation involving Miami Beach, City of Miami and Miami-Dade fire rescue units alongside law enforcement teams.
• Two of the juvenile sailors later died at local hospitals and two remain in critical condition while the counselor and one child did not require hospitalization.
• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard have launched a joint investigation into the collision’s circumstances in the busy maritime corridor.
• The incident has renewed calls for stricter navigational rules and enhanced vessel traffic management to protect recreational boaters in Biscayne Bay.