CBS NEWS
At least 3 killed and 27 others hospitalized when overcrowded boat overturns off San Diego coast in apparent smuggling operation
Published: May 2, 2021 4:28 PM EDT
Updated: May 2, 2021 7:44 PM EDT
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At least three people were killed and at least 27 others were hospitalized after a boat believed to be smuggling people overturned Sunday morning off the coast of San Diego, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Multiple agencies — including local lifeguards, the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Border Protection — responded to the “mass casualty” emergency, officials said.
Jeff Stephenson, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said at a Sunday afternoon press conference there was “every indication from our perspective that this was a smuggling vessel,” and the suspected smuggler was in custody. Stephenson said the boat was likely trying to blend into commercial maritime traffic in the area. Officials would not reveal the origin of the boat or the nationalities of those involved in the accident.