At least three people have been injured and nine others are missing following a small boat capsizing off the San Diego coast, according to local officials.
This incident prompted a major response from various agencies, including the San Diego Police Department, Del Mar Lifeguards, Border Patrol, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Emergency responders reported discovering the boat on Torrey Pines beach around 6:30 a.m.
First responders located three bodies and transported four injured individuals to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has continued the search for the nine people reported missing, indicating that there was at least one survivor from the boat.
“The Coast Guard is currently searching for nine missing individuals off the coast of Del Mar, California, after reports of a capsized vessel,” the U.S. Coast Guard mentioned in a social media update.
To aid in the search, the Coast Guard has deployed a 45-foot rescue boat and a helicopter.
“It was estimated that there were around 18 people on the boat, so we have escalated this to a major medical response, given the potential number of casualties,” stated Jorge Sanchez, deputy director of the Encinitas Fire Department. “We are diligently checking if there are still individuals in the water.”
When asked about the possibility of human smuggling being involved in this incident, Sanchez noted that this was unconfirmed.
“We also have personnel patrolling the beach to ensure nothing goes unnoticed,” Sanchez added.
The boat involved is a small Panga-style vessel, which is typically used in smuggling operations. A similar incident in 2023 resulted in eight fatalities when another smuggling boat capsized near a different San Diego beach.
