San Diego Fire and Rescue has announced that at least eight people of unknown nationalities are dead and seven people are missing following two boats crashing off the San Diego’s Black Beach coast on Saturday night.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) Eight people were killed when two suspected smuggling boats overturned off the coast San Diego, and crews are searching Sunday for seven additional victims, authorities said.
Authorities said that least eight people are dead and a search for at least seven victims was underway Sunday after a suspected human smuggling operation ended after two boats crashed off the San Diego coast late Saturday night. James Gartland, chief of the lifeguard division in San Diego, said 'this is one of the worst maritime smuggling tragedies that I can think of in California, certainly here in the city of San Diego.' Gartland said a woman called 911 at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, saying she was on a panga boat with 15 people aboard that made it to the shore at Blacks Beach. The caller said another panga (small fishing boats with outboard motors often used for smuggling operations) had capsized, and eight people were in the water. Officials from San Diego Fire and Rescue said Sunday that authorities are searching for what they believe are seven additional victims Officials from the San Diego fire and police departments, Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Gua