At Least 3 Dead, 9 People Missing After Boat Capsizes Off San Diego

• Three people died and nine are missing after a panga boat with 16 people capsized near Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego on May 5, the Coast Guard tells PEOPLE
• Four had been rescued from the disaster
• Officials reportedly believe the boat was carrying migrants as part of a smuggling operation

At least three people have died and nine people remain missing after a panga boat carrying about 16 people overturned off the coast of San Diego, authorities said.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the incident to PEOPLE that authorities were notified on Monday, May 5, at 6:30 a.m., local time, of a boat capsizing.

Aside from the three dead, four people were rescued and needed medical attention, according to the agency.

The Coast Gaurd added that authorities were still searching for the nine unaccounted for.

A Coast Guard official told CBS News that the panga overturned near Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego.

In an X post, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies were “assisting the @USCG with providing life saving measures related to a maritime event on the beach near the 200 block of Stratford Court in @CityDelMar. Look for increased law enforcement activity in the area.”

Authorities believe the people aboard the panga were migrants, NBC News reported.

“It is a suspected migrant smuggling boat — human smuggling no drugs — the ones coming up from south of the border,” Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Chris Sappey said, per the outlet.

Authorities told CBS affiliate KFMB that at least two people aboard the panga were minors.

At the time the panga capsized on Monday morning, KFMB reported that the waves were rocky and harsh amid rainy weather. Officials later found several items in the boat, including towels, life vests and shoes.