This morning, the death of at least three people was confirmed after a vessel was swept to a site near the shores of San Diego. Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla reported that it received four patients, three women and one man, who are receiving treatment for respiratory failure. The age of the fourth patient has not been disclosed, according to a hospital spokesperson. Two of the patients are in their 30s and one is a teenager.
The agencies involved in the rescue operation are the USCG, rescue helicopters from San Diego firefighters, a 45-foot Coast Guard response boat, as well as lifeguards with rescue boats and personal watercraft. The vessel appeared north of Torrey Pines State Beach and is believed to have been involved in some smuggling operation, international media reported.
A survivor told rescuers that nine people are missing, including one or two children, according to a spokesperson for the United States Coast Guard (USCG). Search and rescue operations continue off the coast of Del Mar.
