MIAMI — The mourning father of a 13-year-old girl killed in Monday’s crash in Biscayne Bay between a youth sailing camp boat and a barge is speaking publicly for the first time since the tragedy.
Pil Jye Ko, the father of Erin Ko Han, spoke to Local 10 News reporter Liane Morejon on Thursday. He said Monday was Erin’s first day at the Miami Yacht Club’s sailing camp.
“I still remember when we dropped her off,” Ko said. “She said, ‘See you later, mom and dad!’”
But that “see you later” would never come. Officials said a barge struck the sailboat carrying Erin, four other children and a 19-year-old camp counselor off Miami Beach’s Hibiscus Island.
“We hoped that this was all just a dream, or that a miracle would have happened,” Ko said in Spanish. “That the hospital would call and say, ‘Your daughter is alive. She’s alright.’ But no, that didn’t happen. No, no, no. It’s not what happened.”
Recounting his and his wife rushing to be at Erin’s bedside at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Ko said, “I can still see it in my mind. She had many wounds to her head, her arms, her legs, everywhere. I couldn’t believe it. No. No. No.”
Erin, her father said, was a student at Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach and was fluent in English, Spanish and Korean; she was learning Japanese.
“She was the perfect daughter,” Ko said. “She was perfect.”
She loved to swim, family members said, and excelled at sports, including volleyball. She had numerous friends, both here in South Florida and in her native country of Chile. The Ko family moved to the United States in 2024 for a job opportunity and a better life for Erin.
“We are very much in pain in our hearts because she was all we had,” Ko said.
Now he’s left grieving the loss of his daughter and is seeking answers about the deadly wreck.
“I need to find justice,” Ko said. “I need to honor my daughter because I can’t say goodbye as if nothing (happened). I need to know what happened.”
Mila Yankelevich, a 7-year-old member of a prominent Argentine show business family, also died after the wreck. Both Erin and Mila died as the result of an accidental drowning, officials with the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office said on Thursday.
A 10-year-old girl, identified as Ari Buchman, and an 8-year-old girl were badly hurt after the crash and were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard, which is investigating the crash, said Tuesday that they believed all five children aboard the sailboat were wearing life jackets.
Several questions regarding the wreck remained unanswered as of Thursday, including which vessel had the right of way. Officials have also not publicly identified the owner or operator of the barge.
“There are two girls ― girls! ― who are now in heaven. And two others are in critical condition," Ko said. “This can’t happen. They are children. Children who had much life ahead of them.”
Erin, her father said, is set to be laid to rest Friday in a private ceremony.
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