ENSENADA, Mexico – The U.S. Coast Guard and the Mexican Navy are currently searching for 11 people reported missing after a vessel sank off the coast of the Baja California peninsula.
In the initial rescue operation, the U.S. Coast Guard successfully rescued 16 individuals, including two Mexican nationals. All survivors were transported to the San Diego Coast Guard sector and subsequently taken to a local hospital for medical treatment.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that search efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining individuals in coordination with the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR). “Search efforts continue at 140 miles west of Ensenada. No additional people have been found,” a spokesperson stated.
At this time, the origin, destination, and purpose of the vessel remain unknown. The shipwreck occurred in an area frequently used by traffickers transporting migrants to the United States, though it is also a popular route for commercial fishing and recreational vessels.
When rescue teams arrived at the scene, the situation was dire. “People were clinging to each other and to debris, barely staying afloat and trying to remain above water before being rescued,” said Santiago Tamburini, a lieutenant with the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard reported finding no intact vessel, only debris. The organization received the distress call at approximately 1:00 AM on Friday, reporting roughly 27 people in the water, approximately 225 kilometers west of Ensenada.
“The ships in that area can be fishing, leisure, or personal recreation vessels. We simply don’t know what they were doing out there. We all know it is a suspected smuggling route,” Tamburini noted.