Authorities said eight people were killed when two boats, thought to be used in smuggling, came too close to a San Diego beach, and one of them capsized. On Sunday, teams were searching for an estimated seven more victims.
According to Officer Richard Brahm of U.S. Coast Guard Petty, a lady aboard one of the panga-style boats called 911 to report that the other craft had capsized in the surf off Blacks Beach.
“The woman who made the phone call estimated that there were 15 persons on the capsized boat,” Brahm said.
Eight bodies were recovered from the water by Coast Guard and San Diego Fire-Rescue workers, but dense fog impeded the search for additional casualties. Brahm stated that a Coast Guard cutter patrolled the region early on Sunday morning and that officials wanted to launch helicopters if the weather improved.
Daniel Eddy, the deputy head of operations for San Diego Fire-Rescue, stated that Black’s Beach had a large debris field. The state and the city of San Diego jointly own black’s Beach. In addition to Torrey Pines City Beach and Torrey Pines State Beach, this stretch of beach is also known as Torrey Pines State Beach.
Eddie Berrios, a Coast Guard Petty Officer, confirmed that eight individuals had died and that teams were searching for at least seven more. He did not know what type of vessels they were, but he did say that pangas, tiny open boats with outboard engines employed in smuggling operations, frequently landed there.
Brahm was uncertain whether the second boat had been harmed or if the Border Patrol had apprehended its occupants.
Neither the passengers’ nationalities nor whether or not any were arrested were revealed. Under President Joseph Biden, illegal crossings have skyrocketed, with many migrants handing themselves into Border Patrol officials and being freed to pursue their cases in immigration court.
On May 11, a pandemic regulation that has been in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will expire, denying travelers the right to seek asylum. However, enforcement has fallen disproportionately on Mexicans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and El Salvadorans, as these are the only nationalities that Mexico has agreed to take back. Because of this, citizens from these four countries are more likely to try to avoid being caught since they know they will probably be deported because of the Title 42 authority public health rule. Under Title 42, Mexico has recently begun returning Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.