Panga boat capsizes near San Diego: 3 people dead, 9 missing

At least three people are dead and nine are missing after a suspected panga boat washed ashore near the San Diego area on May 5, authorities said.

Crews responded to a report of an overturned vessel on the shores of Torrey Pines State Beach off the coast of Del Mar shortly after 6:30 a.m. local time, officials told KABC-TV.

When the authorities arrived, they found three bodies, and four survivors were taken to area hospitals with various injuries, Jorge Sanchez, a deputy Chief with the Encinitas Fire Department, told NBC News and KSWB-TV.

Nine other people remain unaccounted for, including two children, U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Hunter Schnabel told USA TODAY. It's not exactly clear what the suspected panga boat was doing when it capsized.

When asked if the boat was used to possibly smuggle migrants into the U.S., Schnabel replied, "We can’t confirm if it was a smuggling boat or not. We do not have enough definitive information yet."

Meanwhile, several agencies were involved in the search, including the Coast Guard and San Diego Fire Department helicopters, a Coast Guard response boat as well as lifeguards in rescue boats and watercraft. Others were searching the beach on foot, authorities said.

A person on the panga boat, a smaller, open, outboard-motor powered craft, told rescuers there were 18 people on board, Sanchez told reporters at the scene.

"So we upgraded this to a major medical response due to the number of potential victims that we had on the beach with this boat," Sanchez said. "We're just doing our due diligence by checking if there's anybody else in the waters."

When asked if this was a migrant smuggling event, Sanchez also said it was unconfirmed at the time. In March 2023, at least eight people were found dead after two migrant smuggling boats, believed to be panga boats, capsized off a San Diego beach in a suspected human-smuggling operation, authorities said.

A border protection spokesman said then that hundreds of maritime smuggling incidents occur every year, and the tragedy was one of the deadliest ever in the U.S.

Details about where the boat came from during the deadly May 5 incident were not immediately available; the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is also involved with the search.

What is a panga boat?

A panga boat is usually an open, versatile outboard-powered boat, typically 18-to-30 feet long that's used for a range of activities, including small boat rides, fishing and hauling cargo, according to Panga Sports, a boat-building business based in Woodbury, Tennessee.

The panga boat has no cabin or deck, and its name comes from the panga fish, which is commonly netted. The bow of the boat resembles the machete or knife called a panga. The boats are also used for human smuggling, typically coming from Latin American countries attempting to enter the U.S., according to authorities.

Panga Sports said the panga boats are "known for their reliability and efficiency on the water." The vessels are often recognized by their unique hull design, which consists of a sharp bow and a flat bottom, providing great stability and agility in a range of ocean conditions, Panga Sports said.

"The panga's loading capacity can range widely depending on its sizes and designs; many of these vessels can hold multiple passengers as well as hundreds of pounds of gear or cargo," said Panga Sports' description. "They also typically have plenty of deck space, which means crew members and gear can move about with ease. Such are especially attractive for fishing operations because they significantly improve productivity with gear access and excellent mobility."