The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 16 people from the sea about 140 miles off the coast of Ensenada, Mexico, Friday morning, and crews were continuing to search for additional victims reported to still be in the water after a boat went under.
Read more ICE pursuit in Houston that broke a man’s leg targeted a suspect who died years ago, family says
Someone aboard the boat put out a distress call about 1 a.m. reporting that the vessel was taking on water and that 27 people were onboard, Petty Officer Charlie Valor said. Air and surface crews from across California responded, along with the U.S. Navy, and based their search area on the direction from which the signal had come.
A Coast Guard helicopter based out of Ventura was first to reach the site, about 2 a.m., and its crew reported finding 16 people in the water, Valor said. The boat was not immediately located. However, searchers later reported finding debris from a vessel.
San Diego Fire-Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Brian Raines said during an early morning news conference that 16 patients were taken to hospitals by 13 ambulances waiting at the Coast Guard San Diego headquarters. Two people were reported to be in critical condition, while the rest had moderate injuries, Raines said.
It was not immediately clear if any had been wearing lifejackets.
The search was continuing for additional possible victims, according to Capt. Robert Tucker, Coast Guard sector commander in San Diego.
“Right now the priority is search and rescue,” Tucker said at the news conference. “People are still out in the water.”
Read more Meta updates business terms, sparking AI training fears among content creators
Coast Guard officials said two of the people rescued were Mexican nationals. Coast Guard and Fire-Rescue officials were not able to immediately confirm additional details about the victims or the boat they were on, but in a news release issued mid-morning Friday, Tucker alluded to human smuggling.
“This case highlights the extreme dangers of taking to the sea,” Tucker said. “The vessel had a large number of people onboard and was following a route normally used in illegal maritime smuggling operations. Offshore conditions are unforgivable and can quickly result in death.”
Around the time of the distress call, waves measured roughly 4.6 feet, and intervals were roughly 15 seconds apart, according to readings taken from a buoy along the U.S. maritime border about 80 miles north and roughly 30 miles west of the sinking site, National Weather Service meteorologist Miguel Miller said. Those conditions are not considered choppy, but they could give a small vessel trouble, he said.
Miller said storms off Mexico were not affecting that area. “Simon is weakening, and Trudy is strengthening, but this part of the ocean is not receiving effects from either of those tropical cyclones,” he said.
The Coast Guard was leading the search and rescue effort, including the helicopter from Ventura, a fixed-wing plane from Sacramento and vessels based around the state, he said. The U.S. Navy was also helping.
Read more How real estate decisions offer keys to business success