At Least 15 Rescued, Dozens Missing as Suspected Smuggling Boat Breaks Up Off Baja California

The U.S. Coast Guard launched a major search-and-rescue operation on Friday after 27 people were reported in the water about 140 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico. The California smuggling boat rescue operation is ongoing, with Coast Guard air and surface crews still searching for those unaccounted for.

FAKTA

• 27 people reported in the water, about 140 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico.
• At least 15–16 rescued and taken to hospitals in San Diego (figures evolving; officials confirm at least 15).
• Distress call came in around 1:00 a.m. Friday for a vessel taking on water; crews found boat debris.
• San Diego City spokesperson José Ysea confirmed to NBC 7 San Diego that the vessel was a human smuggling boat.
• San Diego hospitals placed on alert; ambulances staged at the Coast Guard station.

California Smuggling Boat Rescue: Search Continues at Sea

U.S. Coast Guard Southwest announced the operation in a breaking post on X, saying air and surface crews were responding to reports of 27 people in the water, with 15 people reportedly rescued at that point and search-and-rescue work still under way.

A Coast Guard spokesperson told the New York Post that a distress call came in from a boat around 1:00 a.m. on Friday for a vessel taking on water. When officials arrived, they discovered boat debris with reportedly 27 people in the water. The Coast Guard could not confirm to the Post that it was a human smuggling operation, nor whether Mexican nationals were aboard.

NBC 7 San Diego reported that José Ysea, a San Diego City spokesperson, confirmed the vessel was a human smuggling boat. Ysea said 16 people had been rescued and that more bodies may still be in the water. The people rescued were taken to local hospitals.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter performs a hoist rescue at sea (file photo: U.S. Coast Guard).

Response on Shore

NBC 7 reported that ambulances were staged at the Coast Guard station in the Embarcadero in San Diego, with first responders on scene, and that hospitals in San Diego had been placed on alert as the rescued were brought ashore for treatment.

It remains unclear what caused the vessel to take on water, and whether any other agencies, including U.S. Border Patrol, are involved in the response. The search was still active as of Friday afternoon local time.

More on developing stories from the region: Watan News — World news.