Three people were confirmed dead, four were injured, and seven others are unaccounted for after a small capsized off San Diego’s coast early Monday.
Two people were initially reported missing but were later found and detained, the U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Hunter Schnabel said.
Investigators did not immediately reveal where the boat was coming from before it sank just after sunrise, roughly 35 miles north of the Mexico border.
The boat was described as a single or twin-engine open fishing boat and is suspected to be used by smugglers to avoid the tightly guarded land borders.
“They were not tourists,” said U.S.C.G. Petty Officer Chris Sappey. “They are believed to be migrants.”
The injured victims suffered respiratory-related issues and were taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.
