At least eight dead in California shipwreck of two boats carrying migrants

At least eight people have died in the sinking of two fishing boats carrying immigrants on board in the waters off the city of San Diego (California, USA), according to the local Fire and Rescue Department on Sunday.

Rescue crews were notified of the incident late Saturday night when a Spanish-speaking woman phoned. She said that there had been a collision between the two boats and that those on her boat, which was carrying eight people, had made it to land, but the other boat, which had between eight and ten people on board, had been wrecked.

Emergency services used the coordinates of the cell phone from which the call had been made to determine that it was the Black’s Beach area outside San Diego. Upon arrival they found two wrecked fishing boats. A more extensive search located eight bodies. Some were washed up on the beach in an area about 400 meters long. Others were in the water in shallow areas.

The rescue effort, involving Customs, Lifeguard, Coast Guard and firefighters, was complicated by high tide and dense fog, San Diego Lifeguard Chief Lt. James Gartland told a news conference. Although Coast Guard helicopters were mobilized, the aircraft had to return to base due to poor visibility. None of those involved in the operation could see any survivors. The search for other possible victims continued Sunday morning.

The bodies have been turned over to the county coroner in an attempt to identify them. Their names and nationalities are unknown at this time.

According to the commander of the Coast Guard in the San Diego sector, Captain James Spitler, since 2017 there has been detected a 771% increase in human trafficking on the coasts of the U.S. Southern California. In the last two years such activity has caused the death of at least 23 people at sea.

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