Three dead, nine missing after panga boat capsizes near San Diego

Three people are dead and at least nine more are missing after a small boat overturned in the Pacific Ocean off the coast near San Diego, California, officials say.

At least 16 people, including two children, were on board the panga-style fishing boat, which overturned near Torrey Pines State Beach, the US Coast Guard said in a statement on X.

Rescuers were searching for survivors from Monday's incident off Del Mar, 15 miles (24km) north of San Diego.

Jorge Sanchez, of the Encinitas Fire Department, said the immigration status of those caught in the "mass casualty incident" was not known. Four people were taken to a hospital, and it was unknown if any other victims were in the water, he said.

A panga boat is a small, open, lightweight vessel typically powered by an outboard motor.

A Coast Guard cutter and a helicopter were searching for the missing, a Coast Guard spokesman told the BBC.

Nick Backouris, a lieutenant with the San Diego Sheriff's office, said people from his office helped victims on the beach.

"The deputies were assisting with life-saving measures," he said, according to Reuters.

The San Diego Sheriff's Department said no-one had been detained in connection with the incident, KFMB reported.