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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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Three people were killed, four others were injured and nine remain missing after a small boat capsized early Monday off the coast of San Diego, authorities said.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department reported that emergency crews, including the U.S. Coast Guard, responded to the incident around 6:30 a.m. following reports of an overturned panga-style boat near Torrey Pines State Beach.
The Context
Panga boats—open vessels typically used for fishing—are frequently employed by smugglers attempting to transport people or goods illegally across coastal borders. Authorities have not confirmed whether the vessel involved was part of a smuggling operation, but the investigation is ongoing.
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What To Know
The Coast Guard confirmed via X, formerly Twitter, that it was actively searching for the nine missing individuals in waters approximately 15 miles north of downtown San Diego.
It was not immediately clear where the vessel came from. The Coast Guard later confirmed to Newsweek that around 16 people were on board when it overturned north of Torrey Pines State Beach.
Four people located in the water were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, while three were declared deceased at the scene.
The Coast Guard said of the nine still missing, at least two were thought to be children.
Sea assets, including a helicopter, were involved in the ongoing search efforts.
Winds were light in the area, with slow-rolling waves reaching about 6 feet (1.8 meters), according to Sebastian Westerink, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in San Diego. The water temperature was 63 degrees (17 Celsius), he said.
A bulldozer moved the panga vessel on the beach as the search was underway. The wooden dinghy that was over 20 feet long (6 meters) had scuffed blue paint and wooden planks for seats. Inside the boat were a pair of running shoes, more than a dozen life vests, an empty waterproof cellphone bag and various water bottles. Its engine was visibly damaged.
In 2023, eight people were killed when two migrant smuggling boats approached a San Diego beach in heavy fog. One boat capsized in the surf. It was one of the deadliest maritime smuggling cases in waters off the U.S. coast.
A federal judge sentenced a San Diego man to 18 years in prison in 2022 for piloting a small vessel overloaded with 32 migrants that smashed apart in powerful surf off San Diego's coast, killing three people and injuring more than two dozen others.
Prosecutors said Antonio Hurtado was high on drugs when he drove the migrants into rough, stormy seas in the dark in May 2021. As 5- to 8-foot (1.5- to 2.4-meter) waves pounded the vessel, he jumped overboard and swam to shore, abandoning the passengers he had told to hide in the cabin and under deck. The boat capsized and broke apart as they were hurled into the early morning waters.
Worldwide, nearly 9,000 people died last year attempting to cross borders, the U.N. Agency for Migration said last month. The death toll set a record for the fifth year in a row.
The U.N. Missing Migrant Project puts the number of dead and missing in the central Mediterranean at over 24,506 from 2014 to 2024, many of them lost at sea. The project says the number may be greater as many deaths go unrecorded.
What People Are Saying
Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego, told Newsweek in a statement: "This tragic maritime incident off the coast of San Diego is a stark reminder of the dangers posed by maritime smuggling. The ruthless smuggling of undocumented individuals is not only illegal, it's deadly.
"This loss of life underscores why such criminal activity will never be tolerated. HSI San Diego will diligently pursue every lead to ensure that those responsible are identified, arrested, and held fully accountable."
Lieutenant Nick Backouris of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department told the Associated Press (AP): "A doctor hiking nearby called in and said, 'I see people doing CPR on the beach, I'm running that way.'"
What's Next
The Coast Guard told Newsweek its priority was locating the missing people as of 11:44 a.m. local time. U.S. Customs and Border Protection was originally on the scene, with HSI later taking over the case.
Reporting by the AP contributed to this article.
Update: 5/5/25, 5:31 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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