Authorities are investigating after 12 sickened people were rescued from a small boat in Huntington Beach on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the 12 people on board were undocumented individuals.
The passengers appeared to be suffering from possible seasickness, but the exact details of their ailments remained unclear, said the Huntington Beach Fire Department.
Authorities received reports of a vessel that became disabled near the shoreline off Tower 10 in Huntington Beach on Tuesday night.
The Coast Guard was called in to tow the small boat to the Huntington Harbor launch ramp where the 12 passengers were transferred to Customs and Border Protection agents.
At the time, seven people were treated by emergency personnel and two people were transported to a local hospital.
Homeland security was called to the scene as it appears most passengers were Mexican nationals. Officials say it’s unclear whether the boat was involved in a smuggling operation.
The case remains under investigation.
“This was an excellent example of the seamless coordination between federal and local agencies to ensure the safety of everyone out on the water,” said Lt. Cmdr. Keith Robinson, the law enforcement division chief for Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach. “Situations like this highlight the dangers of attempting to cross the nation’s borders by sea.”
