Two are killed and 23 are hospitalized as boat ‘smuggling illegal immigrants from Mexico’ capsizes off coast of San Diego
Two people were killed and nearly two dozen others were hospitalized after a boat that was believed to have been used to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States capsized Sunday just off the San Diego coast, authorities said.
Local lifeguards, the US Coast Guard and other agencies responded around 10:30am following reports of an overturned vessel near the peninsula of Point Loma, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
Two patients died at the scene and 23 people were transported to hospitals, the department said in a statement.
Boats and aircraft were still searching around midday for other possible survivors in the water near the Cabrillo National Monument, the department said.
Two people were killed and nearly two dozen others were hospitalized after a boat capsized Sunday just off the San Diego coast
The image above shows debris washing ashore just off the coast of San Diego on Sunday
Since the vessel capsized in federal waters, the incident will be investigated by federal agencies.
According to reports, the vessel was a low-slung panga, a type of boat that is often used by smugglers to illegally transport migrants across the southern border.
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department told The San Diego Union-Tribune that lifeguards pulled 25 victims from the water.
Five of them were in ‘CPR status’ – meaning they were having trouble breathing.