The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for 11 people believed to be missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Mexico, leaving survivors struggling to stay afloat in the Pacific Ocean as several suffered injuries consistent with shark attacks.
The decision came Sunday, October 18, after an extensive rescue operation involving American and Mexican military crews searched more than 2,441 square miles of ocean without finding additional survivors.
The terrifying ordeal began early Friday morning, October 16, when a vessel carrying a reported 27 people began taking on water approximately 140 miles west of Ensenada, Baja California.
A distress call reached Coast Guard officials in San Diego around 1 a.m., triggering an emergency response involving helicopters, rescue swimmers and military vessels.
By the time a rescue helicopter reached the area roughly two hours later, the boat had disappeared beneath the surface.
Instead, rescuers spotted people struggling in the water, some wearing life jackets and others clinging to wreckage or one another as they waited for help.
Coast Guard Lt. Santiago Tamburini described the desperate conditions facing the survivors.
“People were holding onto each other, to debris, just treading and trying to stay above water before being rescued,” he said.
A Coast Guard rescue swimmer entered the water to help the stranded passengers, while helicopter crews worked to bring them aboard.
The operation took approximately 90 minutes, ultimately saving 16 people.
But rescuers soon discovered that some survivors had suffered injuries consistent with shark bites while stranded in the open water.
The Coast Guard said its personnel provided lifesaving first aid during the flight to San Diego, where the rescued passengers were transported to hospitals.
Three survivors were reported to have suffered suspected shark-bite injuries, while two people were initially described as being in critical condition.
Authorities have not established exactly when the suspected shark encounters occurred or released a complete update on the injured passengers’ conditions.
The Mexican Consulate in San Diego confirmed that all 16 rescued individuals were Mexican nationals.
Meanwhile, the search continued for the remaining passengers.
Coast Guard helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, rescue vessels and U.S. Navy personnel joined forces with Mexican authorities to search the remote waters.
Despite their efforts, no additional survivors were located.
On Sunday, the Coast Guard announced that it was suspending the search after a combined 89 hours of operations across thousands of square miles.
“Suspending a search is never easy, and this was an exceptionally dynamic case, far offshore, in rough weather,” Coast Guard Capt. Joseph Meuse said.
The agency has not confirmed the deaths of the missing passengers. Officials also cautioned that the total number of people aboard the vessel has not been independently established, although initial accounts suggested 27.
The disaster has raised additional questions about why the boat was traveling so far offshore.
According to the Coast Guard, the vessel was operating along a route frequently associated with illegal maritime smuggling operations.
However, authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the passengers were attempting to enter the United States or whether the vessel was involved in a smuggling operation.
The waters off Baja California are also used by commercial fishing boats and recreational vessels.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been involved in examining information about the voyage, and the Coast Guard said the incident remains under federal investigation.
The sinking follows several deadly maritime disasters along the California-Mexico coastline.
In May 2025, at least three people died when a boat overturned near San Diego.
Two years earlier, eight people were killed when boats believed to be involved in a smuggling operation approached a San Diego beach during heavy fog.
Those incidents highlighted the dangers facing passengers aboard vessels traveling through challenging coastal waters.
In the latest disaster, the surviving passengers escaped an ordeal involving a sinking boat, prolonged exposure to the ocean and suspected shark bites.
But for the families of those still missing, the decision to suspend the search has brought heartbreaking uncertainty.
Authorities have not announced any further rescues or confirmed fatalities.
The federal investigation continues as officials work to establish what caused the vessel to sink and who was aboard when it went down.
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