At least three people are dead and nine are missing after a suspected panga boat washed ashore near the San Diego area on May 5, authorities said.
Crews responded to a report of an overturned vessel on the shores of Torrey Pines State Beach off the coast of Del Mar shortly after 6:30 a.m. local time, officials told KABC-TV.
When the authorities arrived, they found three bodies, and four survivors were taken to area hospitals with various injuries, Jorge Sanchez, a deputy Chief with the Encinitas Fire Department, told NBC News and KSWB-TV.
Nine other people remain unaccounted for, including two children, U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Hunter Schnabel told USA TODAY. It’s not exactly clear what the suspected panga boat was doing when it capsized.
When asked if the boat was used to possibly smuggle migrants into the U.S., Schnabel replied, “We can’t confirm if it was a smuggling boat or not. We do not have enough definitive information yet.”
Meanwhile, several agencies were involved in the search, including the Coast Guard and San Diego Fire Department helicopters, a Coast Guard response boat as well as lifeguards in rescue boats and watercraft. Others were searching the beach on foot, authorities said.
A person on the panga boat, a smaller, open, outboard-motor powered craft, told rescuers there were 18 people on board, Sanchez told reporters at the scene.
“So we upgraded this to a major medical response due to the number of potential victims that we had on the beach with this boat,” Sanchez said. “We’re just doing our due diligence by checking if there’s anybody else in the waters.” When asked if the boat was used to possibly smuggle migrants into the U.S., Schnabel replied, “We can’t confirm if it was a smuggling boat or not. We do not have enough definitive information yet.”
Meanwhile, several agencies were involved in the search, including the Coast Guard and San Diego Fire Department helicopters, a Coast Guard response boat as well as lifeguards in rescue boats and watercraft. Others were searching the beach on foot, authorities said.
A person on the panga boat, a smaller, open, outboard-motor powered craft, told rescuers there were 18 people on board, Sanchez told reporters at the scene.
“So we upgraded this to a major medical response due to the number of potential victims that we had on the beach with this boat,” Sanchez said. “We’re just doing our due diligence by checking if there’s anybody else in the waters.”
Panga #boat capsizes #near San Diego:# 3 people dead, #9 missing
