SAN DIEGO — At least one person died and several people were rescued from the water after a suspected smuggling boat capsized off the San Diego shore early Thursday, authorities said.
Fifteen people were taken into custody after the small panga-style vessel came into shore near the Children’s Pool in La Jolla, said Border Patrol Supervisory Agent Jeffrey Stephenson.
A San Diego police spokesman confirmed that one person had died at the scene.
Border Patrol agents first saw the boat off the coast near Point Loma around 5:10 a.m. and saw several people in the water who appeared to be in distress around 5:20 a.m., officials said.
“Our agents spotted the vessel when it was still northbound from Point Loma and from that point, we were basically tracking it and tracking it to this area,” Border Patrol Agent Jacob Macisaac told OnScene TV. “We had agents on scene when they were attempting to disembark.”
Lifeguards initially responded to an area off Marine Street where they found 10 people in the water, a couple who were wearing life vests, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Mónica Muñoz said.
“These patients were brought to lifeguard (headquarters) in boats and were met by ambulances and fire crews. Patients were evaluated and eight were transported” to four local hospitals, she said in an email.
The boat continued up the coast, she said, and a short time later came into shore at Wipeout Beach near Coast Boulevard.
As the boat neared shore, it capsized in the surf line and at least one person was found submerged in the water, Lifeguard Lt. Ric Stell said.
“Usually when boats go into the surf they flip,” he said. The boat righted itself and ended up in an upright position in the sand.
The person in the water was brought to shore and CPR was performed but the person did not survive, Munoz said.
Stell said the total number of people on the boat was unknown but lifeguards believe 18 people were located in the area, including some who were able to make it to shore on their own.
OnScene TV showed two men on the beach being assisted by Border Patrol agents.
People seeking to cross the border are increasingly turning to the sea as enforcement is heightened at land borders.
On Monday, 23 people were rescued off a panga intercepted near Sunset Cliffs. In that incident, no one ended up in the water.
“The real danger here definitely is to the migrants that are on these vessels,” Macisaac said. “These are basically open hulled fishing vessels, they are loading them, overloading them with occupants, with gas cans.”
At least 116 people have died so far this year during attempts to cross the U.S.-Mexico border or as they journeyed north in the interior of Mexico, according to data tracked by the International Organization for Migration.
