Several survivors were treated for suspected shark bites after a boat from Mexico capsized off the coast of Baja California, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. As of Friday, 16 Mexican nationals had already been rescued and authorities are continuing the search for 11 people suspected of being missing.
“Several of those rescued suffered serious injuries from shark bites, and the Coast Guard provided first aid while en route to San Diego,” the agency said in a statement Saturday.
The Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy are searching the waters using several planes and boats, with assistance from the Mexican Navy. An additional helicopter will be deployed later today, according to the Coast Guard.
The boat capsized in an area frequented by smugglers and did not occur in U.S. waters, according to the Coast Guard. Survivors told authorities there were 27 people on board.
“We were able to help, and that’s why we launched our means,” said Master Charlie Valor on Saturday.
The area is popular with fishing and recreational boats, but fatal attempts to transport migrants from Mexico to the United States have occurred in the past.
The Mexican consulate in San Diego said all those rescued were Mexican nationals. The Coast Guard said Customs and Border Protection was investigating and interviewing survivors, but the agency did not immediately respond to requests for updates.
If survivors witnessed a crime, they may be eligible for humanitarian parole and allowed to remain in the country for a limited period.
Rescuers were searching the area with helicopters, a fixed-wing aircraft, a cutter and a Navy gunship Saturday. Efforts continue.
Emergency call around 1 a.m.
A call for help came from someone on the boat around 1 a.m. Friday, Coast Guard Lt. Santiago Tamburini said. A rescue helicopter arrived on scene approximately two hours later. It took the crew, which included a rescue swimmer, about 90 minutes to get all 16 people out of the water, Tamburini said.
The boat sank about 140 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico. There have been several episodes of capsized migrant ships en route to California in recent years.
In May 2025, at least three people died when a boat overturned off the coast, about 56 km north of the US-Mexico border. In 2023, eight people were killed in one of the deadliest maritime smuggling accidents off the U.S. coast, when two boats approached a San Diego beach in thick fog and one capsized in the waves.
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Associated Press writers Julie Watson, Matt Brown, Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Amy Taxin, Fabiola Sanchez and Laura Turbay contributed to this story.
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