Five individuals have been charged after a tragic migrant boat accident off the coast of San Diego left three people dead, including a 14-year-old boy from India. Federal prosecutors said on Tuesday that the boy’s 10-year-old sister remains missing at sea and is presumed dead. Their parents, who were on the same boat, survived but were hospitalized, with the father currently in a coma.
The boat capsized early Monday near Torrey Pines State Beach, about 35 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Nine people were initially reported missing. By late Monday, all but the missing girl had been found by Border Patrol agents.
Two of the accused are Mexican nationals who were arrested at the scene. They are facing serious charges of human smuggling resulting in death, which could result in life imprisonment or the death penalty. According to U.S. authorities, three other individuals were also arrested and charged with transporting migrants illegally. One of them had previously been deported in 2023.
Authorities said the eight surviving migrants had made it to shore on their own. Vehicles waiting nearby were believed to be part of the smuggling operation, as confirmed in court documents.
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon condemned the actions of the smugglers, saying, “The drowning deaths of these children are a heartbreaking reminder of how little human traffickers care about the costs of their deadly business.” He vowed to pursue justice for the victims.
The capsized boat was identified as a “panga,” a small wooden fishing boat often used by smugglers to move migrants by sea. These boats are known for being overloaded and risky, especially in the ocean’s rough waters.
The U.S. Coast Guard searched the area using helicopters and cutters but ended their operations late Monday after hours of scanning the sea.
Smugglers are increasingly using sea routes to bring migrants into the U.S. to bypass strict land border checks. These journeys are usually launched from Mexico in the dark of night.
This is not the first fatal incident involving migrant boats off California’s coast. In 2023, eight migrants died when two boats approached a beach in heavy fog and one overturned. In 2022, another man was sentenced to 18 years in prison after piloting a vessel with 32 migrants that broke apart in the surf, killing three and injuring more than twenty.