3 dead after suspected smuggling vessel overturns off San Diego
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Three people are dead after a suspected smuggling vessel overturned off the coast of San Diego on Sunday morning.
San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesperson Monica Munoz told CNN they received reports of a vessel that overturned near the Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma around 10:27 a.m. (1:27 p.m. ET).
James Gartland, lifeguard chief for San Diego, told reporters it appeared the boat hit the reef, broke up and 30 people “came out of the vessel.”
In a Monday update, the US Coast Guard said 32 people were aboard the vessel, 29 survived, three died and of the five remaining in the hospital, one is in critical condition. The Coast Guard indicated Sunday more than 20 people were sent to the hospital.
By Bill Galluccio
May 3, 2021
The captain of a suspected human smuggling boat was taken into custody after the vessel overturned off the coast of San Diego on Sunday (May 2). Officials said there 29 people crammed inside the 40-foot cabin cruiser when it struck a reef near the Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma.
The boat was damaged in the collision and battered with waves of up to six feet, causing it to break apart. The boat was on the reef, bouncing back and forth, and then slowly disintegrated into a bunch of pieces, Lifeguard Lt.
Four people died in the accident, and one person remains hospitalized in critical condition. The other 24 people on the boat survived, though they sustained injuries, including hypothermia and cuts and bruises from pieces of the ship. Officials said they pulled six survivors from the water while the others managed to swim to shore.
U S Coast Guard on how human smuggling boat capsized and killed four people - kusi.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kusi.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Captain of suspected smuggling boat in custody after vessel capsizes, killing at least 3 off San Diego coast Nelson Oliveira
The captain of an overcrowded boat that capsized off the San Diego coast has been taken into custody as authorities suspect the vessel was being used in a human smuggling attempt when it crashed into a reef Sunday morning, killing at least three people and hurting more than two dozen others.
U.S. Border Patrol described the unidentified captain as a “suspected smuggler,” but it has not immediately disclosed what kind of charges the person may face. The suspect was one of at least 27 people who were taken to area hospitals after the incident.
HEADLINES & GLOBAL NEWS
By
May 03, 2021 01:41 PM EDT
The Coast Guard and Border Patrol stationed in San Diego Bay saved illegal immigrants nearly drowned in San Diego Coast last Sunday. They saved 27 illegal immigrants, but three died in the water because of riptides.
Illegal Immigrants Drown in San Diego Coast
The combined rescue operation of the Border Patrol, Coast Guard, came after an attempt to smuggle illegal immigrants via the sea, ending in three deaths via drownings. While 27 were hurt in the disastrous sea crossing, one was driven to a sea cliff, and 22 were washed ashore, reported USA Today.
One comment by the agencies involved in the humanitarian rescue is that more attempts to enter via US coasts have made it more dangerous.