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The U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed that the captain of the tugboat involved in Monday’s deadly collision, which claimed the lives of two young girls attending a sailing camp, was tested for alcohol, as part of the agency’s ongoing investigation.
One of the two girls killed has been identified as 7-year-old Mila Yankelevich, the granddaughter of an award-winning Argentinian TV producer, Cris Morena, according to La Nacion. The Argentine Consulate in Miami confirmed her identity with Fox News Digital.
“With regard to the accident that occurred in the city of Miami, the Consulate General and Promotion Center of the Argentine Republic has been informed of the incident and remains fully available to assist the family members who reside within its jurisdiction,” the consulate said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Yankelevich’s grandfather, Gustavo Yankelevich, and father, Tomas Yankelevich, are also producers, while her mother, Sofia Reca, is an actor, the Argentinian outlet reported.
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Yankelevich and a second victim, a 13-year-old whose identity has not been confirmed, died after being transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital Monday. Officials said that an 8-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl were in critical condition. Also rescued were a 12-year-old girl, a 19-year-old girl, and a female instructor.
Capt. Frank Florio, commander of Coast Guard Sector Miami, said in a Tuesday evening press conference that the young girls were wearing life vests at the time of the collision.
Florio said the alcohol-level test is standard procedure after the barge struck the sailboat at 11:30 a.m. Monday. He did not disclose the test results or details of the tugboat captain’s statement to investigators. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Coast Guard Sector Miami for comment.
We owe you answers, and we are committed to finding them
“We owe you answers, and we are committed to finding them,” Florio said, addressing the grieving families directly Tuesday.
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Investigators will also be looking into whether the tug and barge’s crew were properly licensed to be on the water, he said.
“The crane just completely destroyed the boat,” one witness told WSVN. “The boat just went under, and I heard a girl shouting for help under the crane.”
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Florio also confirmed that the investigation will include the Miami Yacht Club, from where the girls launched their sailboat as part of a summer camp program.
The popular sailing program, started in 1927, boasts of summer camps in a “very secure area at the Biscayne Bay,” their website says. Biscayne Bay is a heavily trafficked waterway, serving commercial shipping, recreational boating, sailing camps and clubs and fishing and diving.
The Miami Yacht Club shared on social media that they were cooperating with law enforcement. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Miami Yacht Club for comment.
“Out of respect for the families impacted and to allow for the necessary response efforts, the Miami Yacht Club campus, including all our partnering organizations’ facilities, will be closed until further notice,” they said.
In another statement, they wrote: “The Miami Yacht Club is more than just a campus of organizations on the water – it’s a family – and today, we share in the deep grief of our extended sailing community family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, the sailors, and the dedicated instructors and volunteers who give so much to this program.”
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