The grieving father of a 13-year-old girl who died in a sailing summer camp tragedy in Miami has shared the heartbreaking final conversation he had with his daughter. Erin Ko Han, a vibrant teenager who had only recently moved to the US from Chile, was on a sailboat that was struck by a barge in Biscayne Bay, near Miami Beach’s Hibiscus Island, on Monday.
Erin was one of two fatalities in the devastating accident. Seven-year-old Mila Yankelevich also died. Two other children, aged eight and 10, were injured and rushed to hospital in critical condition.
She Said, “See You Later, Mom and Dad”
Erin’s father, Pil Jye Ko, vividly recalled the moment he dropped her off at the Miami Yacht Club’s sailing camp that day. “I still remember when we dropped her off,” he told Miami’s Local 10 news. “She said, ‘See you later, mom and dad.’”
He spoke of the unbearable hope that a miracle might occur. “We hoped that this was all just a dream, or that a miracle would have happened. That the hospital would call and say, ‘Your daughter is alive. She’s alright.’ But no, that didn’t happen. No, no, no. It’s not what happened.”
The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office has since ruled the cause of death for both Erin and Mila as ‘accidental drowning.’
Mr. Ko faced the unimaginable task of identifying his daughter’s body. “I can still see it in my mind. She had many wounds to her head, her arms, her legs, everywhere. I couldn’t believe it. No, no, no,” he said.
A New Life Tragically Cut Short
Erin Ko Han had moved to the US with her family just last year, as her parents sought a better life for her. She was trilingual, fluent in English, Korean, and Spanish, and was working to master Japanese. The Nautilus Middle School student, described by her father as “the perfect daughter,” had her entire life ahead of her. “She was perfect,” he said. “We are very much in pain in our hearts because she was all we had.”
In a statement released on behalf of the Ko family by Erin’s uncle, Alvin Wu, the family expressed “deepest gratitude for the outpouring of compassion and support following the tragic loss of our beloved Erin Ko.” They also shared, “Our grief extends to all those affected by this tragedy. We hold the other victims and their loved ones in our hearts, sharing in the profound sorrow this loss has brought to so many.”
Read more: Byron Mann on His Thirty-Year Acting Career, Making Films, and Accurate Portrayals
The Ko family is now seeking answers. “I need to find justice. I need to honor my daughter because I can’t say goodbye as if nothing [happened]. I need to know what happened,” Mr. Ko said. “There are two girls, girls, who are now in heaven. And two others are in critical condition. This can’t happen. They are children. Children who had much life ahead of them.”
The US Coast Guard is the lead agency in the crash investigation. On Tuesday, officials said they believed all children on board were wearing life jackets at the time of the collision. The Coast Guard has asked the public for any information they may have regarding the crash.
