Mexican nationals involved in a failed migrant smuggling attempt off the California coast suffered injuries consistent with shark bites, according to officials.
Sixteen of 27 people were rescued after a boat capsized off the California coast early Friday morning fought off sharks in open waters, and many were bitten.
“Sixteen people have been rescued and transported to Coast Guard Sector San Diego, where emergency medical services personnel transferred them to local hospitals for further medical evaluation. Two of the sixteen individuals rescued were confirmed to be Mexican nationals,” the United States Coast Guard (USCG) said on Friday.
The U.S. Coast Guard assists in a search and rescue operation in Baja California after more than a dozen people were reported in the water during a human smuggling attempt. NBC SAN DIEGO
Sixteen people were rescued on Friday. NBC SAN DIEGO
While 16 people were rescued, the survivors “were holding onto each other, to debris, just treading and trying to stay above water before being rescued,” according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
At least one person was being treated for a suspected shark bite and two others were in critical condition.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter lifts off at Coast Guard Station San Diego, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Diego. AP Photo/Denis Poroy
The U.S. Coast Guard assists in a search and rescue operation in Baja California after more than a dozen people were reported in the water in a human smuggling attempt. NBC SAN DIEGO
The survivors were found after a call came in from a boat around 1 a.m. on Friday after the vessel capsized about 140 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico.
USCG also suggested that the ship may have been involved in a maritime smuggling operation.
“The vessel had a large number of people onboard and was following a route normally used in illegal maritime smuggling operations. Offshore conditions are unforgivable and can quickly result in death,” said Captain Robert Tucker, commander, Coast Guard Sector San Diego.
A suspected migrant boat is seized by the Newport Beach Sheriff’s office and the U.S. Coast Guard in Newport Beach, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. Jon Putman for CA Post
A San Diego City spokesperson also told NBC San Diego that a human smuggling boat was at the scene.
The Friday incident came after a series of smuggling operations off the Southern California coast occurred.
Multiple smuggling operations have been taking place off Southern California coasts in the last few months. NBC SAN DIEGO
Federal agents intercepted a vessel carrying 14 suspect illegal migrants from Mexico off the coast of Newport Harbor on October 3.
A boat carrying 21 illegal migrants were also caught after trying to enter Southern California in early-August. A 56-year-old man was found unresponsive and later died.
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