A “panga-style vessel” overturned in Del Mar, Calif., early Monday, killing three people and leaving nine others missing, according to authorities.
The Coast Guard received a call around 6:30 a.m. from local authorities reporting that a boat carrying an estimated 16 people had overturned just north of Torrey Pines State Beach, according to Hunter Schnabel, a Coast Guard public affairs officer.
Three people were confirmed dead, and four others required medical treatment. Schnabel estimated that nine other people were missing. Information about the individuals’ health and identities was not immediately available.
It is unclear where the vessel originated. State and federal agencies are searching the area by air, boat, and land to find the remaining passengers, according to Schnabel.
Immigrant smuggling by boat has long been an issue along California’s coastline.
However, officials reported that during the pandemic, Border Patrol apprehensions increased significantly.
While San Diego County is a hotbed for maritime smuggling, Orange County and Los Angeles County have also seen their fair share.
In 2022, at least eight people were killed when two migrant smuggling boats capsized near La Jolla. A year earlier, a man and two women were killed when a panga boat collided with rocks at the base of Point Loma’s cliffs.