A panga boat washed ashore early Monday morning at Torrey Pines State Beach, and authorities are now calling the situation “a mass casualty incident.”
According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, the vessel was spotted near the 12000 block of North Torrey Pines Road. Multiple agencies responded to the area, including the San Diego Police Department, Del Mar Lifeguards, Border Patrol Agents, the United States Coast Guard, and local fire departments.
Jorge Sanchez, deputy fire chief with the Encinitas Fire Department, confirmed that at least three people have died and several others were hospitalized to be treated for various injuries.
“There were estimated to be about 18 people on the beach, so we upgraded this to a major medical response due to the number of potential victims that we had on the beach with this boat,” said Sanchez.
When asked if this was a suspected human smuggling event, the deputy fire chief said it’s unconfirmed at the moment.
A SDFD helicopter is conducting a lateral sweep of the area, both north and south of where the boat washed ashore, to see if there are other potential victims still in the water. Lifeguards are also searching the shoreline on boats and jet skis.
“We have several resources walking up and down the beach as well, making sure that no one is missed,” said Sanchez.
The emergency response remains active and ongoing.
Stay with KTLA 5 News for updates on this developing story.