The tugboat captain was charged in A Miami fatal crash Three girls from a sailing camp were killed, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Yocel Lopez Ensua, 46, of Miami, faces a charge of manslaughter of a sailor in the July collision, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Insua did not have a clear view when the tug boat pushed a barge filled with construction debris into Biscayne Bay, according to the office. The office said that no one was watching it as it sailed through the bodies of water located between Miami and Miami Beach.
The sailboat was carrying a counselor and five girls when it stopped in the boat’s path, and Insua did not see him before the collision, according to the statement. The girls range in age from 7 to 13, while the counselor was 19, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The counselor and two girls were dragged under the boat, but they managed to escape. The other three were trapped in the wreckage and drowned, the office said.
“Our hearts go out to the families of the children who lost their lives in this tragedy,” Jason Redding Quiñones, US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement. “This information alleges avoidable loss of life on our waterways, including failure to follow basic marine safety rules and use of a mobile phone during transport at or near the time of collision.”
The Internet was also accessed on Ensua’s cellphone around the time of the collision, according to the forensic review.
Insua faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.
The Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether Ensua has an attorney.
Four of the children were taken to hospital, where two children, ages 7 and 13, were pronounced dead, according to the US Coast Guard. Days later, the Coast Guard said a 10-year-old boy who was in critical condition had also died.
The sailboat sank under the barge in Biscayne Bay, where there are several small islands, including Star Island, filled with luxurious mansions.
The kids were in their final week of camp, according to the Miami Yacht Club.
Across the United States in 2024, there were more than 550 recreational boating deaths, but only a small fraction of those — 43 — were due to vessels colliding with each other, according to Coast Guard statistics.