Sixteen people were rescued from the Pacific Ocean off Mexico's Baja California coast on Friday after the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a May Day call reporting the vessel was sinking. Another 11 people were believed to be missing. The vessel went down in an area frequented by smugglers transporting migrants to the U.S. but that is also popular with fishing and leisure boats.
No vessel, only debris, was found and it was unclear what type of boat was involved, the Coast Guard in San Diego said. It received reports of 27 people in the water approximately 140 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico, after getting the distress call at about 1 a.m. on Friday. By the time crews reached the area “people were holding onto each other, to debris, just treading and trying to stay above water before being rescued,” Coast Guard Lt. Santiago Tamburini said.
