Testimonies from those who witnessed the tragic accident reveal that desperate attempts were made to avoid the impact
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On July 29 of this year, a tragedy shook the family of Cris Morena and Gustavo Yankelevich: their seven-year-old granddaughter, Mila Yan, died when a barge crashed into the sailboat she was traveling on, off the coast of Miami.
The girl, who was participating in a camp organized by the Miami Yacht Club, lost her life in an accident that is still being investigated by the United States justice system.
In recent hours, the case has taken a new turn. Two eyewitnesses testified before judicial authorities, and their accounts are chilling, not only because of the brutality of the events, but also because of the desperate attempts to avoid the collision.
Según distintos testimonios el impacto pudo ser evitable
Both testimonies were revealed live on El Diario de Mariana (América TV), where journalist Martín Candalaft read excerpts from the statements that could change the course of the investigation.
One of the witnesses is William Cruza, a roofer who was working in a house with a direct view of the bay, in front of the place where the accident occurred. According to his account, he saw how a barge was heading "at full speed" toward a small boat that was not moving.
"I saw a barge going at full speed toward a small boat that was not moving. I shouted to my coworkers so they could see what was happening, we jumped to our feet and started shouting at the boats. We knew the barge was going to crash into the sailboat in less than a minute," he declared before the justice system.
La niña murió ahogada
In his testimony, he also described having seen a man in a neon green jersey on the side of the barge, next to a crane. "If the crew member had seen us, he could have stopped the barge. We shouted and shouted, but we were too far away, they weren't going to hear us. They were heading directly toward the children", he lamented. According to him, when the boat's operator noticed the situation, it was already too late.
The second statement was given by Aldo Melgar, another worker who also witnessed the accident. His version reinforces Cruza's and adds harrowing details about the last seconds before the impact.
"About 30 seconds after we started shouting and jumping, the barge's crew member saw the sailboat full of campers from Miami Yacht Club. We saw the children and the counselor shouting and signaling for the barge to stop," he recounted.
In his desperation, Melgar ran to the back of the barge to warn the captain. "I shouted as loud as I could. The captain heard me because the engine shut off and the barge stopped very quickly, but it was already too late. It sounded like thunder when it hit the small boat, and I started shouting. I felt terrible seeing this, scared and even worse because we had been shouting and they couldn't hear us."
