A fishing boat resembling the wrecks this Sunday in Black’s Beach, on the outskirts of San DiegoSANDY HUFFAKER (Portal)
At least eight people have died when two fishing boats carrying immigrants were wrecked in the waters of the city of San Diego, California, the United States, the local fire and rescue agency reported Sunday.
Rescue teams were alerted to the incident late Saturday night when a Spanish-speaking woman called. He said there had been a collision between the two boats and that those traveling in his boat of eight people managed to reach land, but the other, which had between eight and 10 people on board, was shipwrecked.
Using the coordinates of the cell phone from which the call was made, rescue workers determined that it was in the Black’s Beach area on the outskirts of San Diego. When they got there, they found two wrecked fishing boats. A more extensive search allowed them to locate eight bodies. Some washed up on the beach by the sea, in an area about 400 meters long. Others in the water in shallow areas.
The rescue effort, which involved customs officials, lifeguards, coast guards and firefighters, was complicated by high tides and thick fog, Lt. San Diego Lifeguard Chief James Gartland, in a statement at a news conference. Although Coast Guard Corps helicopters were mobilized, poor visibility forced the plane to return to base. None of the participants in the operation could see any survivors. The search for other possible victims continued on Sunday morning.
The bodies were made available to the county coroner to try to proceed with their identification. So far, their names and nationalities are unknown.
According to Coast Guard Corps Commander San Diego Sector Captain James Spitler, there has been a 771% increase in human trafficking on the southern coast of US California since 2017. In the past two years, this activity has caused the deaths of at least 23 people at sea.
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