Eight people died from it sinking of two small boats which they carried Immigrants on the night from Saturday to Sunday from the city of San Diego This was reported by the local authorities of California.

“This is one of the worst maritime human trafficking tragedies in California that I know of,” San Diego emergency responder James Gartland said today, apparently referring to migration flows between Mexico and the United States.

Eight victims adultshe added at a press conference without revealing their nationality.

Authorities were alerted around 11:30 pm local time on Saturday by a Spanish-speaking man who said 15 people were on one boat and 8 on the other. When they got to the scene, they found that “both boats had capsized,” Gartland said.

At least eight of the approximately 18 people died after their panga boat capsized off the coast of Blacks Beach in San Diego, authorities said. 9-1-1 received a message from a woman on one of the two panga boats who said people were in distress. 📹: @onscenetv pic.twitter.com/sCYYuvJiyL

— Malik Ernest (@MalikEarnest) March 12, 2023

Rescuers “found no survivors” during the operations, but some managed to make it to shore and “leave the beach“, he added.

The area where the boats were located is “very dangerous even during the day,” as strong currents prevail.

The city of San Diego is very close to the US-Mexico border.

Many migrants cross the region illegally, and the issue has become a political headache for Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.

Immigrants seeking to escape poverty or violence in their countries of origin often take great risks when entering the United States.

Source: APE-AFP.