(Reuters) -At least three people drowned after a small boat overturned in the Pacific Ocean north of San Diego, authorities told NBC News and other media outlets on Monday, and the U.S. Coast Guard said it was searching for nine missing people.
A survivor told rescuers 18 people were on board the skiff when the panga boat capsized in the surf, Encinitas Deputy Fire Chief Jorge Sanchez was quoted by NBC. He said at least four people were taken to local hospitals by ambulance, but it was not immediately clear how many were missing.
The U.S. Coast Guard said in a post on the X social media platform that it was searching for nine people missing off Del Mar, California, about 20 miles (32 km) north of San Diego, after receiving a report of an overturned vessel. The boat was found on the beach at about 6:30 a.m. PDT.
A survivor told first responders one or two children were among the missing, Coast Guard spokesperson Hunter Schnabel told the San Diego Union Tribune.
Neither the Coast Guard nor the Encinitas Fire Department immediately responded to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Cynthia Osterman)
