Boat capsizing off the coast of San Diego results in 8 deaths and seven missing

According to authorities, crews are searching Sunday for an estimated seven more dead after two suspected smuggling boats neared a San Diego beach and one capsized.

According to U.S. authorities, a woman operating one of the panga-style boats contacted 911 late Saturday to report that another boat had capsized in rough seas off Blacks Beach—Petty Officer Richard Brahm of the Coast Guard.

Brahm explained that the number of people on the boat capsized was only an estimate given by the woman who called.

Coast Guard and San Diego Fire-Rescue workers retrieved eight bodies from the water, but it was difficult to find any more fatalities due to the dense fog.

Early on Sunday, according to Brahm, a Coast Guard cutter searched the region, and officials hoped to send helicopters aloft if the weather cleared.

On Black’s Beach, according to Daniel Eddy, deputy head of operations for San Diego Fire-Rescue, there is a sizable debris field.

The state of California and the city of San Diego share ownership of Black’s Beach. Torrey Pines City Beach and Torrey Pines State Beach are other names for the area of sand.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Eddie Berrios confirmed eight deaths, and at least seven more were being sought.

He had no idea what kind of boats they were but claimed that pangas, little open boats with outboard motors used for smuggling, frequently came ashore there.

Brahm was unaware of any injuries or whether Border Patrol had detained the second boat’s passengers.

The passengers’ nationalities were unknown, and whether any arrests had been made was unclear. Under President Joseph Biden, there has been an increase in illegal crossings, with many migrants becoming Border Patrol authorities and being allowed to remain in the U.S. to fight their cases in immigration court.

Because Mexico was the only country that consented to take back those nations, enforcement of the pandemic rule, set to expire on May 11, has disproportionately affected Mexicans, Hondurans, Guatemalans, and El Salvadorans.

As a result, since they are likely to be deported following the public health rule, sometimes known as Title 42 authority, citizens of those four nations have been more likely to try to avoid capture. Recently, Mexico returned Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Haitians, and Cubans following Title 42.