Overview

• The collision occurred at about 11:15 a.m. Monday in Biscayne Bay between Monument and Hibiscus Islands when a commercial barge struck a sailboat from the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation
• All six people aboard—a counselor and five children aged 8 to 12—were retrieved by a multi-agency dive and water-rescue operation led by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Coast Guard and local fire-rescue units
• Two children were pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital, a third child remains unresponsive, and the three other survivors are hospitalized in critical or stable condition
• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and U.S. Coast Guard have launched a joint investigation to determine the causes and circumstances of the collision
• The incident highlights persistent navigational hazards in the busy waterways around Star, Monument and Hibiscus Islands near Miami Beach