An overcrowded boat presumably carrying illegal migrants was wrecked on Sunday, May 2, on the coast of California, near the Mexican border, killing three and injuring 27, according to authorities.
The twelve-meter-long boat disintegrated as it crashed against the shore near San Diego on Sunday morning, the occupants being forced into the water in an attempt to save their lives, according to eyewitness videos.
Photos taken at the scene of the boat incident today. 40 ‘cabin cruiser broke up along the rocks inside the surf li… https://t.co/C3lbHHUgFM
Peak of illegal crossings
“It was a ferry boat” who was presumably trying to bring illegal migrants into the United States, said Jeffery Stephenson, spokesman for the American border guards, adding that a man suspected of being the pilot of the boat was being questioned.
“The smugglers don’t care about the people they exploit. All they care about is profit. Safety equipment was inadequate and the boat was obviously severely overcrowded ”, he added. The twenty-seven survivors were hospitalized with injuries of varying severity, San Diego firefighters said.
The United States is facing a peak in illegal crossings at its border with Mexico, with 172,000 arrests in March, a level unprecedented for fifteen years.