Mexican authorities have taken over a search for three people missing in the Pacific off Baja California after a fishing boat caught fire over the weekend.
Fifteen people were pulled from the water by the crew of the San Diego-based charter fishing boat Time Machine, which happened to be near the burning Mexican vessel Saturday night, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
"We were close to the burning vessel, and then we began to hear people start screaming,” the boat's owner Mike Koesterer said.
Koesterer called the Coast Guard, which sent a helicopter, cutter and a 45-foot boat. Mexican authorities sent two boats.
Koesterer's 19-year-old son jumped into the water and started bringing people to the family's boat.
"When we got there, he didn’t hesitate – he went right in at night,” he said.
Two survivors needed urgent medical attention and were flown by helicopter to San Diego, USGS officials said.
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The 13 remaining survivors aboard the Time Machine were transferred to a Mexican vessel and taken to the port city of Ensenada south of Tijuana.
