Three people were killed Monday morning when a suspected migrant smuggling boat capsized in heavy surf, throwing more than a dozen passengers into the ocean off Del Mar.
Four survivors were located and hospitalized. Early reports indicated nine people were missing from the boat, however, two others were ultimately apprehended, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
While rescue crews ran search grids in the sea looking for victims in the water, the seven who remain unaccounted for may have made it to shore, said Coast Guard spokesperson Adam Stanton.
The three people who died were male, according to the medical examiner’s office. Two were Mexican nationals, the Mexican Consulate said. No further information, including names or ages, was released.
The overturned panga was discovered just north of Torrey Pines State Beach around 6:30 a.m.
Encinitas Deputy Fire Chief Jorge Sanchez told OnScene TV that rescuers found multiple people on the beach when they first arrived.
Personnel from several agencies were involved in the search for victims, including Coast Guard and San Diego Fire-Rescue helicopters, a 45-foot Coast Guard response boat, and lifeguards in rescue boats and personal watercraft. Some people combed the beach on foot.
Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla said three females and one male were transported to the hospital’s emergency department and were being treated for respiratory failure. Two patients were in their 30s, one was a teenager and the fourth patient’s age was not immediately known, a hospital spokesperson said.
Sheriff’s Lt. Nick Backouris said the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office will be handling the death investigations.
Video shot by OnScene TV showed the boat upright in the surf, bobbing in the waves near the shore.
“This tragic maritime incident off the coast of San Diego is a stark reminder of the dangers posed by maritime smuggling. The ruthless smuggling of undocumented individuals is not only illegal, itap deadly,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. “This loss of life underscores why such criminal activity will never be tolerated. HSI San Diego will diligently pursue every lead to ensure that those responsible are identified, arrested, and held fully accountable.”
Hundreds of migrants have been apprehended at sea as the Trump administration tightens land borders across the Southwest. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration includes ocean routes, where Coast Guard, border officers and even a Navy ship have beefed up patrols.
According to the Border Patrol, there have been 287 maritime events with 951 apprehensions in the San Diego County area between Oct. 1 and mid-April. Maritime events are defined as incidents in which migrants are caught at sea or on shore, officials said.
That is on pace to match the numbers from the previous fiscal year, when there were 589 incidents leading to 1,375 apprehensions. The year before that, 736 maritime smuggling cases led to 1,328 apprehensions.
Officials say smugglers often overload their vessels with passengers, often without providing any safety measures. Border Patrol officials said the most common vessels used by smugglers include pangas, pleasure boats and even personal watercraft.
Some border-crossing attempts end in tragedy. In January, a 57-year-old woman from Mexico drowned when the suspected smuggling boat she was riding in capsized in heavy surf off Ocean Beach. More than 20 people were swept into the water in that incident. Last year, one person died in a maritime smuggling incident, while 13 people died during attempts in 2023, according to the Border Patrol.
Staff writer Teri Figueroa contributed to this report.
