Smuggler Boat Capsized, Surfers and Lifeguards Rescue Survivors

Описание: At 7:40 am January 25,2025, the report of a capsized vessel came across the Fire Dispatch. The cabin boat full of people had flipped over in the surf at Ocean Beach, San Diego, California. Immediately surfers started to help the struggling survivors ashore. Lifeguards followed quickly and assisted the remaining victims. Paramedics treated some for mild hyperthermia from the 58 degree ocean water. By late morning one fatality was reported by the SDPD. Many thanks to the surfers and people who helped save and support the survivors.
According to the Union Tribune, “There were numerous rescues performed by local surfers,” lifeguard Lt. Rick Romero said. “They were the first to come in and lend a helping hand with their surfboards. Lifeguards got there pretty quickly, and we started rescuing people right and left.” The paper went on to report,
According to Romero, there wasn’t an accurate count of how many people were on the boat, but he estimates it was between 20 and 30 people.
Some people on the boat walked onto the beach from the water on their own, and those who were not transported to a hospital walked away. Romero said no arrests were made and no federal officers were at the scene.
On the 28th of January the Union Tribune reported, A 57-year-old woman believed to be a Mexican national drowned when the suspected smuggling boat she was riding in capsized in heavy surf on Saturday, sending more than 20 people into the water off Ocean Beach.
The woman was identified by the county Medical Examiner’s Office as Maribel Merino Bernardo. She was extricated from the boat by first responders and was unresponsive when she was found. Paramedics attempted life-saving measures and transported her to a hospital, but she could not be revived.
The 25-foot cabin cruiser was hit by a big wave and capsized near the foot of Saratoga Avenue around 7:40 a.m. Between 20 and 30 people were believed to be on the boat when it flipped upside down.
Lifeguards and surfers rescued people from the water, on the jetty or who were trapped inside the vessel, at one point breaking cabin windows to get them out, officials said.

Officials on Saturday reported that nine people were hospitalized.