Federal agents rescued 19 people whose boat caught fire earlier in the week, leading them to swim ashore at a Navy training facility on San Clemente Island.
U.S. Border Patrol agents got a call around 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, about four people who swam ashore at the Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, KTLA’s sister station in San Diego, KSWB, reported.
The island, located about 70 miles west of San Diego and just south of Santa Catalina Island, is a research and development facility owned by the U.S. Navy with a live firing range.
Agents said they determined the four people were passengers on a panga, a small boat commonly used for human smuggling. They told agents the boat’s engine caught fire, causing some passengers to swim ashore. They said other passengers rowed the boat to shore.
Border Patrol’s Border, Search, Trauma, and Rescue team worked with the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy to find the other passengers. Navy personnel found three while Border Patrol enlisted help from search and rescue K-9s. In total, they located 19 survivors.
The group was made up of 16 men and three women between 17 and 45 years old. Border Patrol agents said they were Mexican nationals suspected of trying to enter the U.S. illegally.
One man complained of abdominal pain and was flown to the Naval Air Station North Island then taken to a local hospital for treatment. Agents treated four other people in the group for minor injuries.
Border Patrol said 18 people were taken to Ballast Point and turned over to Border Patrol agents. Two men face smuggling charges, agents said.
Border Patrol search and rescue teams helped locate 19 people suspected of entering the country illegally. Photo: Customs and Border Protection 
Agents said a boat caught fire off the coast of San Clemente Island Tuesday. Photo: Customs and Border Protection 
The island is a U.S. Navy training and research facility with a live firing range. Photo: Customs and Border Protection 
After talking with four people who swam ashore, agents began searching by air and ground. Photo: Customs and Border Protection 
The search and rescue teams helped locate a total of 19 people suspected of entering the country illegally. Photo: Customs and Border Protection