Captain who crashed barge into sailboat in Miami Beach not impaired, officials say

Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald on Aug 1, 2025

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MIAMI — The captain of the tugboat pushing a barge that slammed into a Miami Yacht Club summer-camp sailboat Monday morning in Biscayne Bay — killing two young girls and critically injuring two others — was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the Coast Guard said.

Capt. Frank Florio, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami, previously said the sobriety test included a blood draw and is part of his agency’s investigation into the tragic collision. Florio said the operator provided a statement but didn’t elaborate on what the captain told investigators.

Another person on the barge — as well as the 19-year-old camp counselor operating the sailboat — were also tested for alcohol and drugs. Those results, too, came back negative. Mila Yankelevich, 7, and Erin Ko Han, 13, were killed after the 60-foot barge collided with the 17-foot Hobie Gateway just after 11 a.m in Biscayne Bay. The boat, part of a sailing camp at the Miami Yacht Club on Watson Island, capsized after the barge ran over the sailboat between Hibiscus and Monument islands off Miami Beach.

There were several sailboats in the water at the time and the counselor and girls on the Hobie were yelling and waving for the barge to stop. Three roofers working at a home on Hibicus Island who witnessed the collison and the moments leading up to it told the Herald they, too, were screaming to get the barge to stop.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Officer said the two girls drowned.

Two other campers, ages 8 and 11, were critically injured and rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, officials say. The camp counselor and a 12-year-old girl were treated at the scene. The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation into the crash, has yet to publicly identify the victims nor indicate the girls’ conditions at Jackson.

“The entire MYC family is devastated by this terrible tragedy,’’ Emily Copeland, the Miami Yacht Club’s commodore, said in an email to the Herald.

The Coast Guard is also urging witnesses to contact investigators at MiamiIo@uscg.mil and provide any images, video and information they may have about the crash.

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