Second man dies after smuggling boat capsized in Imperial Beach

[Seven people were onboard this suspected smuggling boat when it capsized off the coast of Imperial Beach early Monday. Two men died.
(U.S. Border Patrol )

The 44-year-old man initially was reported in grave condition but succumbed to his injuries Tuesday afternoon

By KAREN KUCHER
FEB. 5, 2020 2:21 PM

IMPERIAL BEACH —A second man has died after a suspected smuggling boat carrying seven people capsized in high surf early Monday off the coast of Imperial Beach.

The 44-year-old man initially was reported in grave condition but succumbed to his injuries Tuesday afternoon in a hospital, Border Patrol officials said.

On Monday, a 62-year-old man who had been aboard the boat was pronounced dead at the hospital. All seven people on the boat were Mexican nationals who had entered the country without authorization, officials said.

Due to the grave medical condition of the second man, members of the Border Patrol’s international liaison unit and its foreign operations branch had coordinated with the Mexican consulate to try to bring a family member to be at the man’s side. The family member met with a consulate representative at the hospital early Tuesday evening and confirmed the identity of the dead man, a Border Patrol statement said.

“Maritime smuggling is extremely dangerous and smugglers place an emphasis on monetary gain over victim safety,” San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in a statement. “I commend all those involved who did everything they could in an attempt to save these victims’ lives.”

Federal officers had spotted the boat, a 19-foot Bayliner, heading north off the coast of Imperial Beach around 2:30 a.m. The boat appeared to have engine problems and at least two people were seen getting into the water and beginning to swim toward shore. A short time later, the vessel capsized in heavy surf.

Border Patrol, Coast Guard and Air and Marine Operations personnel responded and found seven people on the beach, north of the Imperial Beach pier, ranging in age from 22 to 62.

The boat was seized and the boat’s captain, a 51-year-old man, will face smuggling charges. The other four passengers were processed for entering the country illegally.

The names of the men who died were not immediately released.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...imperial-beach