A suspected smuggling boat was found Sunday morning empty near Sunset Cliffs, San Diego Fire-Rescue said.
“We received a call that there was a Panga Boat that came in here at Ladera Street with about 15 people and the report was that they all got off the boat without having any issue in the water,” San Diego Fire Rescue, Marine Safety Lieutenant Brian Clark said.
A nearby surfer called 911 to report the boat and said no one was in distress and they had lifejackets on as they exited the water, according to Lt. Clark.
“By the time we got here everyone was gone and now there’s a panga about a 20-foot panga on the rocks right here,” Lt. Clark said.
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People who live nearby state they have experienced smuggling attempts in the past.
“Every once in a while, because I walk the dog super early in the morning there would be a crew of federal agents that would show up and start rounding up the guys that came in,” Glen Volk said.
Another suspected smuggling boat was intercepted off the coast of Mission Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard says they detained 16 people from Mexico off that boat. The group was transferred to U.S. Border Patrol custody for further processing.
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First Responders notified the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security will salvage the boat, according to Lt. Clark.
Sunday's incidents were just the latest in a string of similar incidents where panga boats, loaded with migrants have come ashore on San Diego's coastline.
Earlier this week, the Coast Guard intercepted a suspected human smuggling boat with 21 migrants on board about 20 miles off the coast of Point Loma. They were all transferred to Border Patrol custody, according to the Coast Guard.
In a separate incident, 14 migrants were found on a boat. And on Saturday, a boat carrying more than a dozen migrants was rolled by a wave as it approached the Ocean Beach surfline. A 57-year-old woman who was trapped in the boat died, and several others were injured.
Marine Safety Lt. Brian Clark of San Diego Lifeguard said migrant boats create a very dangerous situation not only for the people aboard but also for first responders.
“There are several lifeguards that went underneath the boat to pull some of the people out," Clark said. "There were some people that were trapped underneath the boat. That was a pretty critical rescue."
According to the CBP, in just the last three months they’ve collaborated with other agencies and responded to more than 200 smuggling attempts by water, including people trying to cross on flotation devices, personal watercraft, recreational boats and panga boats.