Two children killed at Miami sailing camp when barge hit boat, authorities say

Two children have died and two more are in critical condition after a barge struck their boat and sent them overboard during a sailing camp in Miami on Monday, authorities said.

All six people on the sailing boat were pulled from the water by emergency services, and four children were taken to hospital where two were pronounced dead on arrival, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Strasburg, a spokesman for the US Coast Guard.

The six — one adult and five children — were in their last week of the sailing camp for youngsters aged seven to 15, according to the Miami Yacht Club.

“The entire MYC family is devastated by this terrible tragedy,” said Emily Copeland, the commodore of the yacht club, in a statement.

Two of the six who were rescued were in “good condition”, Mr Strasburg said.

Last year, there were more than 550 deaths in recreational boating in the US, of which 43 were caused by vessels crashing into each other, according to coast guard statistics.

The boats collided near Star Island, which runs between Miami Beach and Miami in Biscayne Bay, said Arielle Callender, a regional spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in a statement.

Local television stations showed first responders, some in scuba diving gear, in boats around what appears to be a barge. The coast guard is investigating the crash.