Eight migrants thought to have been lost at sea off California after their boat capsized, have been found alive, ending a human smuggling drama that left four people dead, including two children from the same Indian family, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.
U.S. Border Patrol agents found the eight migrants at an inland transit point, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego. The group had been taken there in three vehicles from the beach at Del Mar having made it ashore when the small boat overturned on Monday morning, it said.
Yesterday, off the coast of southern California, a boat engaging in human smuggling capsized, killing at least 3 people.
I commend the @USCG for their immediate response. This tragic loss of life underscores the deadly reality of maritime human smuggling and why Congress…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 6, 2025
A ninth missing migrant, a 10-year-old girl from India, remained unaccounted for and was presumed to have died at sea, federal prosecutors said.
Update: USCG continues to search for 7 missing people involved in an overturned vessel incident near Del Mar, CA this morning. The USCG is requesting the public notify the USCG at 800-854-9834 if they have any relevant information on the identities of the 7 missing people. pic.twitter.com/TaXDgjsQS7
— USCGNorCal (@USCGNorCal) May 5, 2025
Emergency teams recovered the body of her 14-year-old brother, as well as two other people who drowned, soon after the panga-style boat capsized.
Four others, including the children’s parents, were rescued from the surf and taken to hospitals. The father was in a coma, prosecutors said.
