The 2 Florida girls who died in sailboat crash drowned, medical examiner says

Milena Malaver, Miami Herald on Jul 31, 2025

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MIAMI — The two girls who died after a barge slammed into sailboat carrying five children and a camp counselor in Miami Beach accidentally drowned, the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday.

The medical examiner identified the girls as Mila Yankelevich, 7, and Erin Victoria Ko Han, 13.

Mila was the granddaughter of two renowned Argentine media producers, Cris Morena and Gustavo Yankelevich. Her mother, Sofía Reca, is an actress, while her father Tomás Yankelevich, is a producer and director. The family lives in Surfside, according to Miami-Dade property records.

Erin, a Chilean citizen who had moved to South Florida in December with her family, had been attending Colegio San Pedro Nolasco de Vitacura since 2016, the school said in a statement on Wednesday. Erin left the school last year when she moved to the United States with her family, according to the school, located in the province of Santiago, the Chilean capital.

“Her friendliness and personality allowed her to interact with students at different levels, whether through her participation in extracurricular activities or through the family ties that united her with classmates from other classes,” the school wrote in Spanish.

The girls were on a 17-foot-Hobie Getaway as part of a sailing camp at the Miami Yacht Club on Watson Island. A 60-foot barge, being pushed by a tugboat and transporting a large crane, ran over the sailboat in Biscayne Bay between Hibiscus and Monument islands in Miami Beach. The accident happened around 11:10 a.m. Monday.

Five girls between the ages of 7 and 13 were on the sailboat along with a 19-year-old female camp counselor. Two girls, ages 8 and 11, were transported in critical condition to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Mila and Erin died in the hospital on Monday. The camp counselor and a 12-year-old girl were rescued and treated at the scene.

The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation into the crash, has yet to publicly identify the victims.

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