Three dead, 27 injured in boat accident off San Diego
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A boat, believed to be a smuggling vessel, has crashed into a reef off the coast of the US city of San Diego, leaving three people dead and 27 others injured.
"Multiple agencies including @SDLifeguards rescued 25 people from the water. Sadly, two did not survive. 23 were taken to local hospitals. Federal agencies are still searching the water in vessels and aircraft," The San Diego Fire-Rescue service said on Twitter on Sunday.
Fire Rescue lifeguard Lt Rick Romero said during a Sunday news conference that three people had drowned as a result of the boat accident, while a total of 27 were taken to local hospitals with various injuries.
According to Romero, the 40-foot cabin cruiser with at least 30 people on board crashed into a reef and broke apart on Sunday morning, in rough water off Point Loma.
Authorities believe the boat was carrying illegal migrants, although no identities have been released so far.
"Every indication from our perspective is that this was a smuggling vessel used to smuggle migrants into the United States illegally," Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Jeffery Stephenson said on Sunday, as quoted by The Los Angeles Times.
According to Stephenson, the suspected smuggler is in custody.
