Print
An abandoned panga boat and at least a dozen life jackets were found Friday morning on Mission Beach, according to a media report.
The boat was discovered on the sand near El Carmel Place around 5:30 a.m., according to 10News.
The life jackets were on the sand and in the boat, along with food and several containers of fuel, according to the news station. It was not clear how many passengers may have been on the boat when it came ashore.
The abandoned vessel is just the latest found off the coast of San Diego County in a series of suspected attempts to smuggled people into the U.S. by sea over the past week.
SAN DIEGO
Twenty-three people were rescued off a suspected smuggling boat intercepted off the coast of Point Loma early Monday, officials said.
The boat was spotted shortly before 2:50 a.m. by a video surveillance system operated by the Border Patrol, officials said. The boat was drifting near rocks off Sunset Cliffs Boulevard near Osprey Street, according to San Diego police.
A Coast Guard cutter responded and deployed a small boat. Its crew tried to make contact with the operator of the panga, but he or she ignored commands to stop.
OnScene TV reported that the boat’s engine died.
As the panga drifted closer to shore, it became stuck in the surf line and officials feared it might capsize.