Search efforts are continuing for 11 people missing after a boat sank off Mexico’s Baja California coast, while several of the 16 survivors have been treated for suspected shark bites.
The survivors, all Mexican nationals, were rescued on Friday after telling officials that 27 people had been aboard the vessel. The US Coast Guard said some had suffered severe injuries consistent with shark bites.
“Several of the individuals rescued were suffering from severe injuries consistent with shark bites, and the Coast Guard provided life-saving first aid while en route [to] San Diego,” it said in a statement.
Search continues off Baja California coast
The US Coast Guard and US Navy have deployed aircraft and boats to search for the missing passengers, with support from the Mexican Navy. An additional helicopter was due to join the operation later on Saturday.
A Mayday call was transmitted from the boat at about 1am on Friday, according to Coast Guard Lieutenant Santiago Tamburini. A rescue helicopter arrived roughly two hours later, and it took the crew about 90 minutes to bring the 16 survivors out of the water.
The vessel went down about 225km (140 miles) west of Ensenada, an area used by fishing and leisure boats that is also frequented by smugglers.
Although the incident occurred outside US waters, Coast Guard official Charlie Valor said the service had launched assets because it was able to assist.
“We were able to help, and that’s why we launched our assets,” he said.
Fatal attempts to transport refugees and migrants from Mexico to the US have occurred previously. In May 2025, at least three people died when a boat overturned about 56km (35 miles) north of the US-Mexico border.
In 2023, eight people were killed in one of the deadliest maritime smuggling accidents off the US coast after two boats approached a San Diego beach in heavy fog and one capsized in the surf.
