8 people found after suspected smuggling boat capsizes off Encinitas, authorities say
A suspected smuggling boat capsized near Moonlight Beach in Encinitas early Thursday and one person was transported to the hospital, officials said.
Border Patrol agents observed the panga-style boat approaching the shore around 5 a.m. When they arrived they discovered the vessel had capsized, said Border Patrol spokesman Jeff Stephenson.
San Diego County lifeguards and sheriff’s deputies also assisted in searching for people from the boat.
Eight people were found in the area and one was taken to a hospital with hypothermia symptoms, Stephenson said.
Video from KSWB-TV in San Diego showed rescuers searching near a red open-hulled boat with an outboard motor in shallow water.
No other information was immediately available.
So far this fiscal year, 1,327 migrants have been encountered illegally entering the U.S. from the ocean along the California coast, officials said. Last year, 1,273 were detained.
In May, a smuggling boat broke apart off the coast of Point Loma and three people died.
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