A 10-year-old girl died after she was seriously injured when the sailboat she was on as part of a summer was rammed by a barge near Miami.
The family of Arielle Buchman said Sunday that the little girl succumbed to her injuries after the crash involving a Miami Youth Sailing boat last week in the Biscayne Bay, CBS News reported.
“With broken hearts, we announce the funeral service of our beloved Arielle Mazi Buchman,” the grieving family said in a statement.
Two other little girls on the boat were also killed. A third is still hospitalized. One passenger and the instructor were not injured.
Arielle was aboard the boat with fellow victims Erin Ko Han, 13, and Mila Yankelevich, 7, last Monday when it collided with a large barge near the Hibiscus Island, dragging their vessel underneath.
The crash happened on Erin’s first day with the Yacht Club, her heartbroken father, Pil Ko, told Local 10.
“We hoped that this was all just a dream, or that a miracle would have happened,” Ko said after he learned about the crash.
“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,” he sobbed.
Mila, who was the youngest on the boat, was identified as the granddaughter of an award-winning Argentinian TV producer, Cris Morena, according to La Nacion.
Mila’s other grandfather, Gustavo Yankelevich, and father, Tomas Yankelevich, are also producers, while her mother, Sofia Reca, is an actor.
The Coast Guard is currently leading an investigation into what caused the crash with the barge, which was supporting construction along the coast.
Officials confirmed Friday that the boat captain’s recent toxicology report came back negative.
“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,” he added. The Coast Guard will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the causal factors and identify steps to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.”
