At least three people were killed when a small boat capsized Monday morning off the coast of San Diego, officials said. At least nine others were missing as rescue and recovery operations got underway.
The panga-style fishing boat overturned near Torrey Pines State Beach with at least 18 people on board, the San Diego-based CBS News affiliate KFMB reported, citing local authorities. Among them were at least two children, according to the station, which also reported that four people were hospitalized in the aftermath of the incident.
Earlier, the U.S. Coast Guard said officers were searching for nine missing people off the coast of Del Mar, near Torrey Pines State Beach, on Monday morning after receiving a report of an overturned vessel. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office said its deputies were assisting.
The sheriff told KFMB that no one had been detained in connection with the incident.
Video published by the station showed the empty boat near the shoreline at Torrey Pines State Beach, while lifeguards patrolled the water and law enforcement vehicles parked on the sand. A Coast Guard helicopter surveyed the area from above.
In addition to sheriff's deputies and the Coast Guard, officials with the Encinitas Fire Department and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol were also at the scene, KFMB reported. A spokesperson for the fire department told the station it was "too early to know whether the individuals on board were undocumented immigrants."
Jorge Sanchez, the deputy fire chief, also said in an interview at the scene that the immigration status of those on board was "not known at the moment." Sanchez said multiple people were found on the beach after the boat overturned, and confirmed it was considered a "mass casualty incident."
CBS News contacted the San Diego Sheriff's Office for more information.
Emily Mae Czachor