Search Halted After Panga Boat Capsizes Off San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — Authorities have suspended a search for missing passengers after a panga boat capsized off the coast of San Diego County, leaving three dead, several injured and others missing.

The deadly boating accident happened around 6:30 a.m. Monday near Torrey Pines State Beach, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. The boat, which was involved in a suspected human-smuggling attempt, washed ashore near the 12000 block of North Torrey Pines Road.

Emergency crews found three men dead on the beach. Four others suffered minor to critical injuries and were taken to hospitals, according to the Encinitas Fire Department, which responded to the emergency along with the Del Mar and Solana Beach fire departments, as well as federal and state agencies. Later in the morning, two other people who said they were aboard the boat were found and taken to a hospital for evaluation of complaints of pain.

According to one patient, there were believed to have been 18 people aboard the panga-style vessel, according to the Encinitas Fire Department. Authorities later recovered 18 life jackets on the beach.

The U.S. Coast Guard and city lifeguards searched the ocean and shoreline in the area. No other victims were found, leading authorities to believe that some of those aboard the vessel survived the accident and left the area after reaching shore, ditching their life jackets on the beach, according to Chief Josh Gordon of the Encinitas Fire Department.

One survivor reported that several children had been among those aboard the boat, the fire chief said.

The U.S. Coast Guard announced around 10:45 p.m. Monday that it suspended its search for a reported seven missing people pending further developments. In total, Coast Guard crews searched for a combined nearly 28 hours, covering more than 520 square nautical miles.