At Least 8 Dead as Two Small Boats Capsize in San Diego

At least eight people died after the small boats they were in capsized near a San Diego beach, the authorities said on Sunday.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Department lifeguards responded to a 911 call around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to the department spokeswoman, Monica Muñoz.

The caller, a woman, said she and other passengers of a panga boat, a small fishing vessel, had reached the shores of Black’s Beach, a secluded strip of sand beneath the bluffs of Torrey Pines on the Pacific Ocean.

The caller said that another panga boat had capsized, with eight to 10 people in the water.

Lifeguards found “lifeless bodies and two overturned pangas spread over an area of about 400 yards,” Ms. Muñoz said. “Several life jackets and fuel barrels were also found.”

“Lifeguards pulled victims from knee-deep water and from the waterline up the beach to dry sand,” she added.

Search efforts were continuing on Sunday morning.