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Tragic yacht collision claims lives of two children, including one 13-year-old of Korean descent

Published: 31 Jul. 2025, 16:34

This image taken from video provided by WSVN-TV shows Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and others in boats around what appears to be a barge involved in an accident with a group of kids and an adult on a sailing boat during a sailing camp in Miami, Florida, on July 28. [AP/YONHAP]

A 13-year-old girl of Korean descent was among two children killed in a tragic yacht collision during a sailing camp in Florida, U.S. media reported Wednesday.

Erin Ko, a Chilean national and former student at San Pedro Nolasco School in Santiago, had relocated to the United States less than a year ago, according to reports from Argentine outlet Infobae. Local broadcaster WSVN identified Ko as one of the victims of Monday’s accident in Biscayne Bay, near Miami.

Infobae reported that Ko’s parents are Korean and that she had previously attended San Pedro Nolasco School in Santiago, Chile, before relocating to the United States less than a year ago.

WSVN, citing a post from the school’s social media account, said Ko excelled academically, particularly in mathematics, and was also active on the school’s volleyball team.

The fatal accident occurred around 11 a.m. on Monday, when a barge and a yacht collided at sea. Ko was aboard the yacht with five other children and teenagers participating in the camp, along with a camp counselor. All seven were thrown into the water.

Rescue crews pulled all six campers and the counselor out of the water, but Ko and another girl, age 7, were pronounced dead at the scene. An 8-year-old and an 11-year-old girl remain in critical condition at a hospital, while a 12-year-old girl and the 19-year-old counselor were unharmed.

The deceased 7-year-old was later identified as the daughter of well-known Argentine television director Tomás Yankelevich and actor Sofía Reca, according to the Associated Press, sending shockwaves through Argentine society.

The U.S. Coast Guard said all of the children were wearing life jackets at the time of the incident and that an investigation into the cause is ongoing.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]