Four people were killed when a panga boat capsized off the coast of San Diego County early Saturday morning, authorities said.
Agents with the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector first spotted the boat around 12 a.m. south of the Imperial Beach Pier, said Gerardo Gutierrez, public affairs officer for the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector.
A public information officer confirmed to The Times on Saturday that the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of a capsized boat around 12:23 a.m.
Imperial Beach Fire Chief John French told Sideo.TV that the U.S. Coast Guard joined the search for the vessel with nine people aboard near South Seacoast Drive and Encanto Avenue.
French confirmed four deaths.
Gutierrez said at least five people were rescued from the water and taken to hospitals. He added that the incident remains under investigation.
The Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station monitors a six-mile stretch of the land border from the Pacific Ocean to the San Ysidro port of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
