SAN DIEGO: A suspected migrant boat capsized off the coast of San Diego early Monday morning, resulting in three fatalities, four injuries, and seven individuals still missing. Among the missing are two Indian children, while their parents are currently receiving medical care at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.
The small vessel, believed to be a panga—a type of open fishing boat frequently used in maritime smuggling operations—overturned near Torrey Pines State Beach, roughly 35 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, shortly after sunrise.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched an immediate search operation, deploying both a helicopter and a rescue boat to locate the missing passengers. Authorities believe the boat was carrying migrants attempting to bypass land border checkpoints, a route that has become increasingly common despite its dangers.
“The passengers were likely migrants being smuggled by sea,” said U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Chris Sappey, explaining that such operations often aim to evade the heavily monitored southern land border.
Of the injured, three are adults in their 30s and one is a teenager. All were hospitalized with respiratory complications. No further information about their conditions has been released.
Eyewitnesses, including hikers along the beach, reported seeing the vessel overturn around 6:30 a.m. One hiker, a doctor, rushed to assist the victims and performed CPR at the scene.
The Consulate General of India in San Francisco expressed deep sorrow over the incident and is working closely with local authorities to support the affected Indian family.
The waters off the southern California coast have become a hotspot for dangerous smuggling attempts in recent years. In 2023, a similar tragedy near San Diego claimed eight lives, marking one of the deadliest maritime migrant incidents on the U.S. West Coast. According to the United Nations, nearly 9,000 migrants worldwide died while attempting to cross borders in 2023, the highest number ever recorded.
The search for the missing continues as investigators work to determine the circumstances leading to the capsizing.
