At least three people died and seven others, including two children, were missing after a small boat capsized in choppy seas off the California coast in a suspected migrant smuggling attempt north of San Diego, US officials said.  Four survivors rescued after the “panga “-style open fishing vessel washed ashore near Torrey Pines State Beach were transported to hospitals, and two other people found on a nearby beach were detained by authorities, according to US Coast Guard officials. 

The two taken into custody were suspected to be smugglers, Coast Guard spokesperson Hunter Schnabel told Reuters. Earlier Coast Guard accounts put the number of people missing from the overturned craft at nine, but Schnabel said the tally of those unaccounted for was revised to seven after confirmation that two individuals had been detained. A Coast Guard cutter, an emergency response boat and a helicopter were involved in an ongoing search for the missing, among whom were two children, another Coast Guard spokesperson, Chief Petty Officer Levi Read, said.

At least some of the boat’s occupants were apparently from India, as a number of Indian passports “were found on the beach near where the panga washed up,” Read said.  Shawn Gibson, a special agent in charge of the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agency, said the incident was a “stark reminder of the dangers posed by maritime smuggling.” “The ruthless smuggling of undocumented individuals is not only illegal, its deadly, Gibson said of the incident, which occurred about 30 miles north of the US-Mexico border.

Read said ocean conditions off the San Diego County coast were rough at the time, with 7-foot (2 metres) seas reported. Personnel from HSI, the US Border Patrol, the local fire department and law enforcement also responded to the scene, officials said.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)