US coastguard rescues 16 after boat sinks off Mexico’s Baja coast

At least 11 people believed to still be missing, with rescue operations underway.

The US coastguard prepares for lift-off in San Diego, California, on October 16, 2026 [Denis Poroy/AP Photo]

The US coastguard has said it rescued 16 people from the Pacific Ocean after a boat sank off Mexico’s Baja California coast.

The coastguard said on Friday it responded to a Mayday call reporting that a boat was sinking. The search is ongoing for 11 people believed to be still missing.

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The boat went down about 225km (140 miles) west of Ensenada, Mexico.

A rescue helicopter reached the site about two hours after someone on the boat transmitted the Mayday call at about 1am (08:00 GMT) on Friday, said coastguard Lieutenant Santiago Tamburini.

It took about 90 minutes for the coastguard crew, which included a rescue swimmer, to pull the 16 people from the water, Tamburini said.

The people rescued were Mexican nationals, according to the Mexican consulate.

One survivor was being treated for a suspected shark bite and two were in critical condition, authorities said.

The rescued were flown by helicopter to San Diego, California, and transported to hospitals. The Mexican consulate in San Diego said it offered consular assistance.

The coastguard and US Navy are continuing to search the area with two helicopters, a fixed-wing plane, a cutter and a navy combat ship.

The boat sank in an area frequented by smugglers transporting migrants to the US. It is also popular with fishing and leisure boats.

Details about the boat’s origin, destination and what it was doing are not clear. No vessel, only debris, was found, and it was unclear what type of boat was involved, the coastguard said.

“Boats in that area can be for fishing, leisure, personal recreation. We just don’t know what they were doing out there. We all know it’s a suspected smuggling route,” Tamburini said.

据信仍有至少11人失踪，救援行动正在进行中。

2026年10月16日，美国海岸警卫队在加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥准备起飞。[Denis Poroy/AP Photo]

美国海岸警卫队称，一艘船在墨西哥下加利福尼亚海岸附近沉没后，他们在太平洋中救起了 16 人。

海岸警卫队周五表示，他们接到求救信号称一艘船只正在下沉。目前仍在搜寻据信仍失踪的11人。

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这艘船在墨西哥恩塞纳达以西约 225 公里（140 英里）处沉没。

海岸警卫队中尉圣地亚哥·坦布里尼表示，周五凌晨 1 点左右（格林尼治标准时间 08:00），船上有人发出求救信号，大约两小时后，救援直升机抵达了事发地点。

坦布里尼说，海岸警卫队队员（其中包括一名救援游泳员）花了大约 90 分钟才将 16 人从水中救起。

据墨西哥领事馆称，获救人员均为墨西哥公民。

当局称，一名幸存者因疑似鲨鱼咬伤正在接受治疗，另有两人情况危急。

获救人员被直升机送往加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥，并被送往医院。墨西哥驻圣地亚哥领事馆表示将提供领事协助。

海岸警卫队和美国海军正继续出动两架直升机、一架固定翼飞机、一艘巡逻艇和一艘海军作战舰艇在该地区进行搜索。

这艘船沉没的海域是偷渡者经常出没的区域，他们经常将移民偷渡到美国。该区域也常有渔船和休闲船只出没。

目前尚不清楚这艘船的出发地、目的地以及当时的行动意图。海岸警卫队表示，现场没有找到船只残骸，只有一些碎片，而且也不清楚涉事船只的类型。

“那片海域的船只可能是用于捕鱼、休闲娱乐的。我们只是不知道他们在那儿做什么。我们都知道那是一条疑似走私路线，”坦布里尼说道。