Mexican Denial of Search Clearance for U.S. Told

The U.S. Coast Guard was denied clearance by the Mexican government to conduct a search for two people, believed to be Americans, who were missing off the Baja California coast Saturday, and Mexican vessels later retrieved two bodies at sea, the federal agency reported Sunday.

The Coast Guard received a report from San Diego’s Life Flight air ambulance service that two Americans were missing at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Lt. John Ochs said.

The ambulance service had received a call from a Mexican, who apparently had responded to a distress call from an American on the beach at Punta China, 20 miles south of Ensenada, Life Flight spokesman Mike McClain said.

The Coast Guard sent a Falcon jet out of San Diego and when the pilot verified the report, the jet entered Mexican air space and sought clearance to begin a search, Ochs said. A Coast Guard helicopter arrived on the scene at 2:08 p.m. and the jet departed, because it was low on fuel. But a short time later, the Mexican government notified the Coast Guard that the clearance request had been denied.

Mexican officials said the Mexican Navy would respond. The helicopter left Punta China and Mexican vessels reportedly arrived 3 1/2 hours later and recovered two bodies. The two dead people were unidentified and the Coast Guard has not been able to confirm whether they were Americans.

Lt. Debra Harbaugh, a Coast Guard public affairs officer, said there is an international agreement under which Coast Guard craft may enter another country’s airspace and request clearance.

“I’ve been here three years and it’s (a rejection) never happened before,” she said.

“As far as the Coast Guard is concerned, this case is closed,” Petty Officer Brad Smith said. “We began the search, asked for clearance and clearance was denied.”

Mexican consular officials in Los Angeles could not be reached for comment.