Tragedy strikes Miami Beach as 2 die after barge hits sailboat with children aboard
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Two out of six people who were pulled from the water near Star Island in Miami Beach after a barge struck the sailboat they were in, have died, according to authorities.
The U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District in Miami confirmed two people were transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital and have since been pronounced dead.
Officials did not provide any information about the victims who died.
The two-vessel incident happened Monday morning, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) confirmed to Fox News Digital.
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“All six victims, an adult female and five juveniles, were recovered from the water and transported to a local hospital for treatment,” an FWC spokesperson said in a statement.
Three children were taken to a hospital in critical condition, local WSVN reported, and one was taken in stable condition. Police told the TV station the children are between the ages of eight and 12.
MDFR said the call about a submerged vessel with missing occupants came in at 11:14 a.m. The county agency assisted Miami Beach Fire and City of Miami Fire Rescue on the call.
“Divers were deployed to search for the missing occupants. Thanks to the swift rescue response from all agencies, all persons were located and removed from the water,” an MDFR spokesperson said in a statement.
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FWC is leading the investigation into the boating accident.
Fox News has since learned that one child who was on the sail boat when it sank was unhurt. The child, a family member told Fox, was on the boat as part of a sailing school for children.