2 children dead, 1 unresponsive after barge hits sailboat in Florida's Biscayne Bay

David Goodhue, Miami Herald on Jul 28, 2025

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MIAMI — Two young children died at the hospital after a large barge hit a sailboat they were on near Hibiscus Island off Miami Beach on Monday morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A third child on the boat was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital and was unresponsive as of Monday afternoon, said Petty Officer 3rdh Class Nicholas Strasburg, a Coast Guard spokesman.

A fourth child was transported in stable condition, according to Miami Fire Rescue.

The boat, part of a sailing camp at the Miami Yacht Club on Watson Island, capsized around 11:15 a.m. between Monument and Hibiscus islands, Miami Beach police said. A large barge hit the sailboat, which had five children and a camp counselor as passengers. The impact caused the barge to go over the top of the sailboat, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state police agency investigating the crash, said.

Authorities did not identify the children. Lt. Pete Sanchez, with City of Miami Fire Rescue, said the children were between the ages of 8 and 12.

Paramedics took three of the children to Ryder Trauma Center Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition, Sanchez said. Strasburg confirmed to the Miami Herald that two have since died, and the third is not responsive.

A fifth was evaluated by paramedics at the Miami Yacht Club on Watson Island, where paramedics determined he did not need further care, according to Sanchez.

The Miami Yacht Club confirmed the crash on its Instagram account Monday:

“The Miami Yacht Club can confirm that an incident occurred earlier today on the water involving participants of the Miami Youth Sailing Foundation.

“At this time, details are still emerging, and we are actively gathering all available facts.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued the following statement:

“On July 28, (FWC) officers responded to a two-vessel boating accident in Miami-Dade County, along with multiple law enforcement partners. Preliminary information indicates that a barge struck a sailing vessel carrying six people near Star Island in Miami Beach. All six victims, an adult female and five juveniles, were recovered from the water and transported to a local hospital for treatment.”

Hibiscus Island is a Miami Beach island in Biscayne Bay across from the Port of Miami.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue boats, helicopters and divers helped in the search for the people in the moments after the boat went down, the agency said.

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