At least three people are dead, four hospitalized and more are missing after a small boat reportedly filled with refugees capsized off Torrey Pines State Beach on Monday morning.
According to Onscene.TV, a twelve-foot boat sank in rough surf off the coast of Del Mar, leaving approximately a dozen people in the water.
Rescue crews pulled several people out and began life-saving measures on them, but three were declared dead at the scene.
Four were taken to local hospitals, and nine more are reported missing. Eighteen life jackets were later recovered on the beach.
The vessel was seen around 6:30 a.m. near the 12000 block of North Torrey Pines Road, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
Crews from a 45-foot response vessel and the Sea Otter cutter were deployed to search for survivors. Emergency aerial support was also being used, officials said.
At about 8:30 a.m., the Coast Guard indicated that crews were still searching for nine people who were unaccounted for.
It was unclear how many people were aboard the boat, but some reports suggested as many as 18 were aboard.
Authorities believe that half of the occupants of the boat survived the accident and left the area upon reaching shore, ditching their life jackets on the waterfront.
San Diego and Del Mar rescue crews were on the scene, along with park rangers and border agents. Personnel from the San Diego Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, and lifeguards also assisted in the effort.
Updated at 8:35 p.m. City News Service contributed to this report.
