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At least four people died, and five others were injured, after a panga boat capsized near San Diego’s Imperial Beach, according to officials
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After the U.S. Border Patrol allegedly saw the boat cross the border and overturn, the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in the “lifesaving emergency”
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“We have Coast Guard still out there, you know, looking out there in the water to see if there are any other bodies out there,” San Diego Fire-Rescue Fire Chief John French said
At least four people have died, and five others were injured, after a panga boat capsized off the coast of San Diego.
In the early hours of Saturday, Nov. 15, deputies were called to Imperial Beach to assist in a “lifesaving emergency” involving an overturned vessel, the San Diego Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox 5 San Diego, the San Diego Union-Tribune and NBC 7 San Diego.
U.S. Border Patrol allegedly watched the vessel “cross the border” before the boat capsized near South Seacoast Drive and Encanto Avenue, San Diego Fire-Rescue Fire Chief John French said in a statement to Sideo TV.
Shortly after midnight local time, the U.S. Coast Guard began to search for individuals in the water, with assistance from the Chula Vista Fire Department and U.S. Border Patrol.
“This morning at approximately 12 a.m., San Diego Sector Border Patrol agents responded to a maritime smuggling event south of the Imperial Beach Pier. During the smuggling event, the vessel was seen capsizing in the surf,” U.S. Border Patrol Agent Gerardo U. Gutierrez told CBS 8. “Multiple agencies responded to assist in search and rescue efforts. A total of nine people were recovered from the scene.”
According to officials, at least four people died in the incident. One person was found dead in the water off South Seacoast Drive, and three others were found dead near the Imperial Beach Pier. Another five people were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries.
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“We have Coast Guard still out there, you know, looking out there in the water to see if there are any other bodies out there,” French told Sideo TV.
PEOPLE reached out to the San Diego Sheriff’s Office, but did not receive an immediate response.
One witness said that he had been fishing when he noticed one of the victims “floating” in the water. “We were out here — me and my brother and his two other friends,” he explained to the outlet. “We noticed that the helicopter was circling around us.”
Earlier this year, a similar tragedy occurred when a panga boat with 16 people onboard overturned near Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego, leaving at least three people dead and four others in need of medical attention.
Authorities told CBS affiliate KFMB that at least two people on board that vessel appeared to be minors and that the passengers were believed to be migrants.
U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Chris Sappey told NBC News at the time, “It is a suspected migrant smuggling boat — human smuggling, no drugs.”
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