Search continues for 11 missing after boat sank off Mexico’s Baja coast

Some of 16 survivors treated for suspected shark bites, US coastguard says.

The hunt continues for 11 radical inactive missing aft a boat capsized disconnected Mexico’s Baja California seashore connected Friday, arsenic aggregate survivors person been treated for suspected shark bites, according to the US coastguard.

“Several of the individuals rescued were suffering from terrible injuries accordant with shark bites, and the Coast Guard provided life-saving archetypal assistance portion en way [to] San Diego,” the coastguard said successful a connection connected Saturday.

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Sixteen Mexican nationals were rescued connected Friday. Survivors told officials determination were 27 radical connected board.

The coastguard and US Navy utilized aggregate craft and boats, on with assistance from the Mexican Navy, to hunt the country for the remaining passengers. An further chopper volition beryllium deployed aboriginal connected Saturday, according to the coastguard.

Coastguard officers enactment connected a chopper astatine Coast Guard Station San Diego connected October 16, 2026 [Denis Poroy/AP]

A Mayday telephone was transmitted from idiosyncratic connected the vessel astatine astir 1am connected Friday, coastguard Lieutenant Santiago Tamburini said connected the day.

A rescue chopper reached the tract astir 2 hours later. It took astir 90 minutes for the crew, which included a rescue swimmer, to propulsion the 16 radical from the water, helium added.

The vessel went down astir 225km (140 miles) westbound of Ensenada, Mexico, an country fashionable with sportfishing and leisure boats, but that is besides frequented by smugglers.

Although the incidental did not hap successful US waters, coastguard authoritative Charlie Valor said connected Saturday they “were capable to help, and that’s wherefore we launched our assets”.

Fatal attempts to transport refugees and migrants from Mexico to the US person occurred successful the past.

In May 2025, astatine slightest 3 radical died erstwhile a vessel flipped disconnected the seashore astir 56km (35 miles) northbound of the US-Mexico border.

In 2023, eight radical were killed successful 1 of the deadliest maritime smuggling accidents disconnected the US coast, erstwhile 2 boats approached a San Diego formation successful dense fog, and 1 capsized successful the surf.