OAN Staff Blake Wolf
2:27 PM – Monday, May 5, 2025
At least three individuals have been found dead, along with four injured and another nine missing after a small boat capsized off the coast of San Diego, according to the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.
On Monday, the San Diego Police Department, Del Mar Lifeguards, Border Patrol Agents, the United States Coast Guard, and local fire departments responded to a report after the vessel was spotted on the shores of the Torrey Pines State Beach around 6:30 a.m.
First responders discovered three bodies, along with four injured individuals who were taken to local hospitals. The U.S. Coast Guard continued to search for nine missing individuals, after one of the survivors on the boat stated that there were 18 people on board.
“Coast Guard is currently searching for 9 missing individuals off the Coast of Del Mar, California. Search began after receiving a report of an overturned vessel,” the United States Coast Guard wrote in an X post.
The Coast Guard reportedly deployed a 45-foot-long rescue boat and a helicopter to search for the missing individuals, according to CNN.
“There were estimated to be about 18 people on the beach, 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,” stated Encinitas Fire Department deputy Chief Jorge Sanchez. “We’re just doing our due diligence by checking if there’s anybody else in the waters.”
Sanchez was asked if the capsized boat was a suspected human smuggling attempt, to which he responded, stating that it is currently unconfirmed.
“We have several resources walking up and down the beach as well, making sure that no one is missed,” Sanchez added.
The vessel was a small panga-style boat, which is commonly used by smugglers. Eight people were killed in 2023 when a smuggling boat capsized near a San Diego beach.
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