8 dead, 7 missing after suspected smuggling boats capsize off San Diego coast
- It was unclear if any arrests were made and the nationalities of the passengers were unknown
- Illegal crossings have soared under Joe Biden. Many migrants turn themselves in and are released in the US to pursue their cases in immigration court
At least eight people were killed when two suspected smuggling boats approached a San Diego beach and one capsized, and crews were searching on Sunday for an estimated seven additional victims, authorities said.
A Spanish-speaking woman on one of the panga-style boats called emergency services late on Saturday to report that the other vessel had overturned in waves off Blacks Beach, according to United States Coast Guard Petty Officer Richard Brahm.
“The woman who called stated that the boat that overturned had 15 people on it, but that was just an estimate,” Brahm said.
Coastguard and San Diego Fire-Rescue crews pulled eight bodies from the water, but thick fog hampered the search for additional victims.
San Diego Lifeguard Chief James Gartland said rescuers found the two boats overturned in shallow waters near the shore. An estimated 23 people were on the two boats, he said.
No additional victims were found in the water and officials said some or all of the remaining passengers could have escaped via the beach about 15 miles (24km) north of downtown San Diego.
A coastguard cutter combed the area early Sunday and a helicopter crew joined the search after weather cleared at midmorning.
