A 3-year-old girl from Brooklyn died Tuesday after the boat she was in flipped over near Compo Beach in Westport.
Authorities say the victim, Alexandra Vitale, was on the boat with two of her cousins, ages 3 and 6, and a sailing instructor when it capsized. The three children were wearing lifejackets, police say.
Vitale?s family has a summer house in Westport. Authorities say the accident happened about 100 yards from the shore and that a gust of wind may have caused the boat to flip on its side. At least two of the children tried to hang onto the boat but drifted away prompting a passerby to call in a mayday.
Vitale was rushed to Norwalk Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The other two children were treated and released.