At least 16 people have been rescued from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California in Mexico, according to the US Coast Guard, which said it had responded to a report on Friday that more than two dozen people were in the water. The Coast Guard sent air and surface crews about 140 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico, after a distress call came in around 1 a.m. that a boat was taking on water, Petty Officer Charlie Valor said. It was unclear how many ships were involved. “When our assets arrived, the ship or ships had already sunk and were just debris,” he said, including remains of the ship and personal belongings. Coast Guard personnel from multiple bases in California responded to the search, including San Diego, Ventura and Sacramento, along with a U.S. Navy helicopter. The San Diego Fire Department also assisted. A Fire Department spokesperson said the 16 people who were rescued were taken to area hospitals. Two of the 16 people were confirmed to be from Mexico, the Coast Guard said. “This case highlights the extreme dangers of going to sea,” Capt. Robert Tucker, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Diego, said in a statement. “The ship had a large number of people on board and followed a route normally used in illegal maritime smuggling operations. The conditions on the high seas are inexcusable and can quickly lead to death.” However, Mexican naval personnel from a command based in Ensenada began their own search and rescue operation, the spokesman said, and sent boats on their end, in case the current moves south into Mexican waters. The boat’s destination and departure point were not immediately known, but the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California and Southern California has become a popular route for migrant smugglers. In 2023, eight people died when their boat capsized in what authorities described as a human smuggling operation gone wrong. Two similar episodes last year, one in May and another in November, left a total of at least seven people dead. In all three episodes, passengers traveled in pangas, open boats that can transport people or drugs. Two Mexican nationals pleaded guilty earlier this year in connection with the four deaths in the May 2025 crash, in which prosecutors said passengers paid smugglers about $13,5000 per person. Simón Romero contributed to the report.
