- Tuesday, May 06, 2025
The open fishing vessel was carrying at least 16 people when it capsized and washed ashore. Four survivors, including two Indians, were rescued and hospitalized
By: India Weekly
THREE people were killed and seven others, including two Indian children, are missing after a small boat capsized in choppy seas in a suspected human smuggling attempt near San Diego coast in California, US officials said on Monday (5).
The “panga”-style open fishing vessel, commonly used by smugglers, was carrying at least 16 people when it capsized about 15 miles north of downtown San Diego, and washed ashore near Torrey Pines State Beach, about 30 miles north of the US-Mexico border.
Four survivors were rescued and transported to hospitals, while two others found on a nearby beach were detained for suspected involvement in human smuggling, according to US Coast Guard officials.
Helicopters and emergency response boats have been deployed to search for the missing. The search was called off on Monday night.
At least some of the boat’s occupants were apparently from India, as a number of Indian passports “were found on the beach near where the panga washed up,” a coast guard official said.
The Consulate General of India in San Francisco said in a post on X, “An Indian family is also affected by this tragedy. While two Indian children are missing, the parents are undergoing treatment at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla,” it said.
The Consulate said it is providing all necessary assistance to the affected Indian family in coordination with local authorities.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragedy,” the mission said. The Coast Guard official told CBS News that it is treating it as a suspected human smuggling incident.
An US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agency official said the incident points to the dangers posed by maritime smuggling.
After the Trump administration stepped up security along its land borders, illegal migrants are resorting to the more risky route of sea crossings from Mexico.
“The ruthless smuggling of undocumented individuals is not only illegal, it’s deadly,” Shawn Gibson, a HSI special agent, said of the incident
So far this fiscal year, since October 2024, the Coast Guard has tracked 277 vessels clandestinely entering US waters from Mexico in the San Diego area, and 983 people were apprehended.
That compares with 1,354 maritime border-crossing incidents in the same region during the previous 12 months, with 561 individuals taken into custody during that period. (Agencies)
