Before-Dawn Rescue: 16 People Pulled From Pacific Ocean Off Mexico as Coast Guard Aids Search

Rescue off Baja California

People were found about 225 kilometres west of Ensenada, Petty Officer Chris Sappey said. At least 16 were rescued in the predawn hours Friday, while authorities searched for several others.

Sappey said one person rescued reported that as many as 27 people had been aboard a boat. How they ended up in the water was unclear, and Sappey had no further details about what they were doing.

Coast Guard aids search

The U.S. Coast Guard was helping Mexican authorities search the area, Sappey said. Its resources included a helicopter, a fixed-wing plane and a cutter. The area has seen fatal accidents involving capsized smuggling boats over the years. The search was taking place in waters used by smugglers transporting migrants by boat toward the U.S.

Sea route carries dangers

Migrants are increasingly using smugglers’ sea routes as an alternative to heavily guarded land borders. Small boats known as pangas leave Mexico at night and sometimes travel hundreds of kilometres north.