Miami Beach sailboat crash victim, 10-year-old Ari Buchman, has died.
She and several other children were part of a summer sailing camp operated by the Miami Yacht Club.
Her family’s place of worship made the announcement Sunday morning, “With broken hearts, we announce the funeral service of our beloved Arielle Mazi Buchman.” That service is set to take place Sunday afternoon.
The sailboat she was on and a barge collided in Biscayne Bay near Miami Beach on Monday, killing two young girls and critically injuring Ari and another girl.
The crash occurred around 11:15 a.m. between Hibiscus Island and Monument Island, authorities said. Six people, five girls and one adult camp counselor, were aboard the sailboat when it was struck. The sailboat was dragged under the barge which had a crane on top and what appeared to be pilings for a dock.
Miami Beach Fire Rescue crews were first on scene, they were later joined by rescue crews from Miami, Miami-Dade, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Coast Guard. Working together they recovered all six people.
The Coast Guard said a 7-year-old and a 13-year-old girl died at Jackson Memorial Hospital, while an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old girl remain in critical condition. That 10-year-old, has died.
Argentinian television station Telefe, which is owned by Paramount, the parent company of CBS Miami, identified the 7-year-old girl who died as Mila Yankelevich, the daughter of television director Tomas Yankelevich, who lives in Miami.
A 12-year-old girl and a 19-year-old woman were treated after being taken to the Miami Yacht Club and did not require hospitalization.
Witnesses: “All the kids went flying off”
The children were part of a summer sailing camp operated by the Miami Yacht Club and affiliated with the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation. This was the final week of camp.
CBS News Miami spoke with several of them who witnessed the crash. They said everyone on the sailboat was wearing life jackets.
Enzo Pifer Eddy, 9, described the barge hitting the boat.
“There was a massive boat and it hit one of the small sailboats. All of the kids went flying off. Two were found quickly and three had to go to the hospital,” he said.
Another 8-year-old, who asked not to be identified, saw the crash while sailing nearby on what she called a “Wave Sailboat.”
“The crane just completely destroyed the boat. The boat just went under. I heard one girl yell, ‘Help,’ from under the crane and two girls jumped off the wave and the crane barely missed them,” she said.
“It was super sad and super scary. I’m just glad I wasn’t on the boat, but I felt so sorry for them,” she added.
The Miami Yacht Club is known for its friendly, unpretentious spirit. Membership is open to the public and they put an emphasis on introducing inner-city kids to the bay. In a statement, the club said, “The entire MYC family is devastated by this terrible tragedy.”
Questions surrounding the crash
One of the questions that needs to be answered is whether the crash could have been avoided.
Jon Nitkin, a harbor pilot for PortMiami, said the accident happened in unrestricted waters, meaning it was wide enough that the barge had multiple avenues to maneuver around the smaller vessel.
“I saw the barge. It was one of those crane barges that do work, they build seawalls and docks. Very underpowered. The move very slowly and its difficult to stop them,” he said.
Nitkin questioned whether the captain of the tugboat, which was pushing the barge, was aware of the smaller vessel.
“I don’t know what kind of visibility he (tugboat captain) has from the wheelhouse. My guess, usually very poor. So they usually have a crew member up on the bow of the barge, not the tug, so he can keep a lookout,” he said.
Coast Guard leads crash investigation
Investigators said the sailboat is still submerged under the barge. The Coast Guard has set up a 250-yard safety zone around it to keep other vessels away. According to the Coast Guard, vessel owners are responsible for hiring a commercial salvage company to safely remove the vessels form the water and avoid any further problems or issues like an oil spill. The commercial salvage company must submit these plans for the Coast Guard’s approval.
“Our hearts are with the families of those lost and all who have been affected by this tragedy,” Capt. Frank Florio, Commander of Coast Guard Sector Miami, said in a statement. “Incidents like this leave a lasting impact on our maritime community and reinforce the importance of learning from every loss. The Coast Guard will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the causal factors and identify steps to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.”
Mauricio Maldonado
contributed to this report.
