At least 3 dead, 7 missing after small boat capsizes near San Diego

Yahoo

07-05-2025

At least three people are dead and seven others, including two children, are missing after a suspected panga boat washed ashore near the San Diego area on May 5, authorities said.
Four survivors rescued after the "panga"-style open fishing vessel washed ashore near Torrey Pines State Beach were transported to hospitals, and two other people found on a nearby beach were detained by authorities, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials. The two taken into custody were suspected to be smugglers, Coast Guard spokesperson Hunter Schnabel told Reuters.
Earlier Coast Guard accounts put the number of people missing from the overturned craft at nine, but Schnabel said the tally of those unaccounted for was revised to seven after confirmation that two individuals had been detained.
Some of the boat's occupants were apparently from India, as Indian passports "were found on the beach near where the panga washed up," according to Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer Levi Read.
Shawn Gibson, a special agent in charge of the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations agency, said the incident was a "stark reminder of the dangers posed by maritime smuggling."
"The ruthless smuggling of undocumented individuals is not only illegal, it's deadly," Gibson said of the incident, which occurred about 30 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Read said ocean conditions off the San Diego County coast were rough at the time, with 7-foot seas reported.
Meanwhile, several agencies were involved in the search, including the Coast Guard and San Diego Fire Department helicopters, a Coast Guard response boat, and lifeguards in rescue boats and watercraft. Others were searching the beach on foot, authorities said.
'Upgraded this to a major medical response'
A person on the panga boat, a smaller, open, outboard-motor powered craft, told rescuers there were 18 people on board, Sanchez told reporters at the scene.
"So we upgraded this to a major medical response due to the number of potential victims that we had on the beach with this boat," Sanchez said. "We're just doing our due diligence by checking if there's anybody else in the waters."
When asked if this was a migrant smuggling event, Sanchez also said it was unconfirmed at the time. In March 2023, at least eight people were found dead after two migrant smuggling boats, believed to be panga boats, capsized off a San Diego beach in a suspected human-smuggling operation, authorities said.
A border protection spokesman said then that hundreds of maritime smuggling incidents occur every year, and the tragedy was one of the deadliest ever in the United States.
Details about where the boat came from during the deadly May 5 incident were not immediately available; the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is also involved with the search.
So far this fiscal year, since October 2024, the Coast Guard has tracked 277 vessels clandestinely entering U.S. waters from Mexico in the San Diego area, some of the boats being interdicted and others getting away, Read said. Those incidents resulted in 983 people being 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.
'Worst maritime smuggling tragedies': At least 8 dead after migrant smuggling boats capsized off San Diego beach
What is a panga boat?
A panga boat is usually an open, versatile outboard-powered boat, typically 18 to 30 feet long, used for a range of activities, including small boat rides, fishing, and hauling cargo, according to Panga Sports, a boat-building business based in Woodbury, Tennessee.
The panga boat has no cabin or deck, and its name comes from the panga fish, which is commonly netted. The bow of the boat resembles the machete or knife called a panga. The boats are also used for human smuggling, typically coming from Latin American countries attempting to enter the U.S., according to authorities.
Panga Sports said the panga boats are "known for their reliability and efficiency on the water." The vessels are often recognized by their unique hull design, consisting of a sharp bow and a flat bottom, providing great stability and agility in a range of ocean conditions, Panga Sports said.
"The panga's loading capacity can range widely depending on its sizes and designs; many of these vessels can hold multiple passengers as well as hundreds of pounds of gear or cargo," said Panga Sports' description. "They also typically have plenty of deck space, which means crew members and gear can move about with ease. Such are especially attractive for fishing operations because they significantly improve productivity with gear access and excellent mobility."
(This story was updated to add new information and video.)
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Panga boat capsizes near San Diego: 3 people dead and 7 missing