3 dead, several missing after suspected migrant boat capsizes off San Diego

A boat believed to be carrying migrants capsized off the coast of northern San Diego, California, leaving at least three people dead and several others missing, according to officials.

The U.S. Coast Guard said on Monday it launched search operations after receiving a report of an overturned vessel near the 200 block of Stratford Court in Del Mar. The incident occurred shortly after sunrise, approximately 35 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Authorities told local media that three people were confirmed dead, while four others were rescued from the water and taken to area hospitals with injuries. Their conditions have not been disclosed.

Initially, nine individuals were reported missing. However, the Coast Guard later revised that number to seven in an update issued at 3:36 p.m. local time.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Chris Sappey said the vessel was believed to be a panga — a small, open fishing boat commonly used in maritime smuggling. “They were not tourists,” Sappey told KPBS. “They are believed to be migrants.”

The identities and nationalities of those on board have not been released. It remains unclear where the vessel departed from or whether any individuals may have reached shore and left the area.

The Coast Guard has deployed both a helicopter and a boat to continue searching for the remaining missing individuals.