The US Coast Guard said the search for 11 people still missing after a boat capsized off Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Friday is continuing, while several survivors are being treated for suspected shark bites.
In a statement on Saturday, the agency said some of those rescued "suffered serious injuries consistent with shark bites," and that Coast Guard personnel provided first aid and life support during the journey back to San Diego.
Sixteen Mexican nationals were rescued on Friday. The survivors told authorities there were 27 people aboard the vessel.
The US Coast Guard and US Navy have deployed multiple aircraft and vessels, with support from the Mexican Navy, to search the area for the remaining passengers. According to the Coast Guard, an additional helicopter was to be deployed on Saturday.
Coast Guard Lieutenant Santiago Tamburini said a mayday was radioed from someone on the boat at about 1 a.m. Friday. Roughly two hours later, a rescue helicopter arrived on scene. He said the crew, including a rescue swimmer, took about 90 minutes to pull the 16 people from the water.
The boat went down about 225 km (140 miles) west of Ensenada, Mexico — an area popular with fishing and recreational boats but also frequently used by smugglers.
Although the incident occurred outside US waters, Coast Guard official Charlie Valor said on Saturday that they "were able to help, and that's why we launched."
Previous refugee and migrant smuggling voyages from Mexico to the United States have ended in deadly wrecks. In May 2025, at least three people died when a boat capsized offshore about 56 km (35 miles) north of the US-Mexico border.
In 2023, eight people died in one of the worst maritime smuggling accidents off the US coast, when two boats entered a San Diego beach in dense fog and one capsized in the surf.
