Eight people died after two boats capsized off the coast of San Diego Saturday night, San Diego Fire and Rescue officials said Sunday.
Officials said the vessels were suspected to be involved in smuggling.
Officials said the bunka boats capsized around 11:30 p.m. A passenger with 15 other people ashore at Black’s Beach called 911 to report victims in the other boat.
Those responding to the scene included the San Diego Fire and Police Departments, Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, and state and local lifeguards.
The dispatcher used GPS information from the caller’s phone to locate the overturned boat, which authorities said was about 800 yards north of Black Gold Road in La Jolla.
According to information shared by San Diego Fire and Rescue, the first group of lifeguards made their way through the water on foot as high tide prevented access to the beach. Within two hundred yards, they found lifeless bodies on the dry sand, two overturned bunk boats and several life jackets and fuel barrels, officials said.
Lifeguards carried seven bodies that were first found in the water to dry sand, and officials from Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Sea Operations found an eighth body, officials said.
Officials said the search continued on Sunday morning.
Additional information, including the ages of the victims and where the boats came from, was not immediately available.
Officials are expected to provide more details to reporters on Sunday at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET.
This is a growing story. Check back for updates.
