8 Dead, 7 Believed Missing After Suspected Smuggling Boats Crash

Eight people were killed and an estimated seven others are believed to be missing after two suspected migrant smuggling boats crashed amid heavy fog off the San Diego coast on Saturday (March 11), authorities confirmed via the Associated Press, referring to the incidents as one of the deadliest smuggling related incidents in U.S. history.

A Spanish-speaking woman traveling on one of the boats called 911 to report that the other boat involved in the crash had capsized off Black's Beach, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Richard Brahm confirmed.

“The woman who called stated that the boat that overturned had 15 people on it, but that was just an estimate,” Brahm said via the AP.

The bodies of eight adult victims were pulled from the water by Coast Guard and San Diego Fire-Rescue crews, with fog in the area limiting further rescue efforts. San Diego Lifeguard Chief James Gartland said rescuers found two boats were overturned in shallow waters shallow waters near the shore with an estimated 23 people suspected to have been on the boats involved in the crash.

No additional victims were found in the water, but officials believe some may have escaped through a nearby beach located about 15 miles north of downtown San Diego.