A sailboat carrying five children and one adult sank Monday after colliding with a barge in Biscayne Bay, Florida, killing two children and injuring four others, WSVN-TV reported.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene off Miami Beach and pulled multiple victims from the water, according to the outlet. Three children were hospitalized in critical condition and one was listed as stable. All were between 8 and 12 years old. (RELATED: Crew Member Dies After Going Overboard On World’s Largest Cruise Ship)
“There was a massive boat and it hit one of the small sailboats and all the kids went flying off. Two were found really quickly and three of them had to go to the hospital,” Enzo Piffartti, who attended a sailing camp, told NBC6.
“I saw them put one of the kids in the ambulances to take away,” another man named Jordon told NBC6. “I saw a bunch of ambulances, dive rescues, the military, police all along here and I was walking along and they said they were trying to rescue either four or six kids because the boat sunk and tipped over.”
The authorities received multiple calls of a boating accident near Hibiscus Island in Biscayne Bay at 11:16 a.m., Lieutenant Sanchez said. Some of the calls reported a submerged vessel with missing occupants, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Rescue personnel called for more assistance upon arrival. (RELATED: Over 30 Dead After Boat Carrying Tourists Capsizes In Unexpected Thunderstorm In Vietnam)
“Our priority is the safety and well-being of everyone involved, and we are working closely with the appropriate authorities and organizations to understand the situation fully,” The Miami Yacht Club stated.
The foundation was holding a summer camp, according to the yacht club’s website,