MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Rescuers pulled six people from Biscayne Bay, including five children, after a sailboat sank off Hibiscus Island in Miami Beach on Monday morning. Two of the children died, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The incident involved a vessel from participants in a youth sailing camp.
6 p.m. report:
Officials said a barge struck the sailboat at around 11:15 a.m. before the latter vessel went under. Officials said the six aboard, an adult and five children aged 7 to 13, were thrown from the boat by the collision.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, two children were pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital. A Coast Guard statement Monday afternoon said that “one (child) is currently unresponsive.”
Video from Sky 10 showed medics performing chest compressions on at least one victim and multiple divers were spotted in the water.
MBPD is currently managing a multi-agency critical incident involving a capsized vessel and multiple victims between Monument Island and Hibiscus Island. All victims have been accounted for.
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) July 28, 2025
Media staging is located at 90 S Hibiscus Drive. pic.twitter.com/udcUVsHGB5
Marine crews from Miami Beach Fire Rescue, Miami Fire Rescue, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, the Miami Beach Police Department and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office were among those at the scene. Rescue crews staged on land at 131 Hibiscus Drive.
According to officials, a 7-year-old girl and a 13-year-old girl were killed.
Remaining in critical condition as of Monday evening were an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl, authorities said.
“It was a trying day for all involved,” Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez said. “Most of us have kids, so it is difficult to see.”
The survivors, four children and an adult counselor, were taken to the Miami Yacht Club; medics later took two of the children to the hospital for treatment.
The club confirmed in a post to its Instagram page that the sinking “involv(ed) youth participants of the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation.”
“At this time, details are still emerging, and we are actively gathering all available facts,” the post reads in part. “Our priority is the safety and well-being of everyone involved, and we are working closely with the appropriate authorities and organizations to understand the situation fully.”
A participant, 9-year-old Enzo Piffaretti, said he saw the scene from the shore.
“It was a big garbage boat (barge), and the Getaway (sailboat) was in front of it and the boat wasn’t paying attention, crashed right into them and they all went flying off the boat,” Enzo said. “Two were found really quickly and three of them, they had to go to the hospital.”
He said the crash happened during the first week of a sailing camp.
“Everyone else was in the water, but the second it happened, they called everyone to go back to shore,” he said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is leading the incident response and the U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the incident, according to the Coast Guard.
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