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Three people have been confirmed to have died, and nine other people have not been booked due to suspected smuggling boats that overturned a smuggling boat off Del Mar early Monday morning.
Local firefighters, along with the U.S. Coast Guard and Homeland Security, responded to an area just north of Tory Pines State Beach around 6:30 a.m., when Panga was washing land, officials told KTLA 5 News.
“It was estimated at around 18 on the beach, so we upgraded this to a major medical response due to the number of potential casualties,” said Jorge Sanchez, assistant director of the Encinitas Fire Department.
Three people were declared dead at the scene. Hunter Schnabel, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said the four survived and medical care was needed.
Panga capsized at Torrey Pines State Beach in Del Mar, California. May 5, 2025 (onscene.tv)
Crews were searched desperately for additional victims and survivors on boats, jet skis and helicopters. The children are believed to be among the missing people, Schnabel said.
“A doctor hiking nearby called me and said, “I’m watching someone doing CPR on the beach, I’m running like that.”
The winds were light in the area, with slow, rolling waves reaching about 6 feet (1.8 meters), according to Sebastian Westerink, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in San Diego. The water temperature was 63 degrees (17 degrees Celsius), he said.
The bulldozer moved panga on the beach while the search was underway. Over 20 feet long, the wooden dinghy packed its seats with blue paint and wooden planks. Inside the boat were vests of more than dozens of life, empty waterproof mobile phone bags, and various water bottles. The engine was visibly damaged.
Panga landings are relatively common in Southern California as immigrants risk their safety by riding these overcrowded boats to arrive in the US from Mexico.
Border Patrol arrests nine people who try to illegally enter us at Dana Point Harbor
Recently, the city of San Clemente has been considering installing surveillance cameras along the coastline that will help alert authorities when pangas is discovered.
In 2023, eight people died when two immigrant smuggling boats approached a San Diego beach in thick fog. One boat capsized by surfing. It was one of the most deadly maritime smuggling incidents in waters off the US coast.
A federal judge sentenced a San Diego man to 18 years in prison, piloting a small vessel overloaded by 32 migrants who were broken by powerful surfing off the San Diego coast, killing three people and injuring more than 20 others.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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