Search Operations Halted: 10-Year-Old Remains Missing Following Boat Accident Near San Diego | California

A 10-year-old Indian girl remains missing at sea after a boat carrying migrants capsized outside of San Diego on Monday morning. Among the bodies recovered is the girl’s 14-year-old brother. According to the Department of Justice, the family’s mother is hospitalized while their father remains in a coma. The US Coast Guard has stopped its search for the missing girl, who is the only one left unaccounted for among the original nine people reported missing. Two Mexican nationals were also killed in the incident. The vessel, a “panga”-style boat typically used for fishing, was found damaged on San Diego’s Torrey Pines beach. Shawn Gibson, a special agent in charge of the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agency, stated that the incident was a stark reminder of the dangers posed by maritime smuggling. The smuggling of undocumented individuals is not only illegal but deadly. Border patrol agents located eight of the originally nine missing migrants after stopping two vehicles tied to the boat incident. The justice department has charged five Mexican nationals in relation to the event, with two arrested at the beach and three later. Smuggling off the California coast has been a risky alternative for migrants to avoid heavily guarded land borders. In 2023, eight people were killed when two migrant smuggling boats approached a San Diego beach amid heavy fog. Human rights groups have stated that strict border policies drive people around the world to riskier routes, resulting in increased deaths and human rights abuses.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/06/san-diego-boat-missing-migrants