Coast Guard ends search for missing boat after survivors found with shark bites

Coast Guard ends search for missing boat after survivors found with shark bites A mayday call came from someone on the boat around 1 a.m. Friday, said Coast Guard Lt. Santiago Tamburini - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A search for 11 missing boat passengers has been called off after 16 were rescued, several of them with suspected shark bites, off Mexico's Baja California coast. Survivors told officials early on Friday that 27 people had been on board. The Coast Guard has now called off the search for the 11 people still believed missing. Crews spent nearly four days looking for survivors before ending the search late on Sunday. The boat went down about 140 miles (225 kilometres) west of Ensenada, Mexico. Its origin and destination were not clear. A mayday call came from someone on the boat at around 1am on Friday, said Coast Guard Lt. Santiago Tamburini. A helicopter reached the site two hours later, Tamburini said. It took about 90 minutes to rescue the 16 people, he said. The Mexican consulate in San Diego said all those rescued were Mexican nationals. The Coast Guard has said Customs and Border Protection was investigating and interviewing the survivors. The boat capsized in an area frequented by smugglers outside of U.S. waters, according to the Coast Guard. The U.S. Navy joined the Coast Guard and the Mexican Navy in searching the waters with helicopters, planes and multiple boats. The region is popular with fishing and leisure boats. Some attempts to transport migrants from Mexico to the U.S. have turned deadly in past years. In May 2025, at least three people died when a boat flipped off the coast north of the U.S.-Mexico border. [Image text:] U.S. AST GUARD