The US Coast Guard rescued at least 16 people found floating in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico's Baja California coast early Friday and continued searching for several others in an area known for migrant smuggling by sea.
The rescued people were being taken to hospitals in San Diego. Three were admitted to Scripps Mercy Hospital, including one treated for a suspected shark bite and two for cold exposure, hospital spokesperson Janice Collins said.
The Coast Guard responded to a distress call about a vessel at around 1.00am, officials said. The people were found about 140 miles (225 kilometres) west of Ensenada, according to Petty Officer Chris Sappey.
“There was no sight of a vessel in the water, just straight people in the water,” Sappey said.
One survivor reported that as many as 27 people had been aboard a boat. Authorities had yet to establish how the people ended up in the water or what they had been doing.
The Coast Guard and US Navy were helping Mexican authorities search with two helicopters, a fixed-wing aircraft and a cutter. Messages seeking information were left for San Diego's Fire-Rescue Department.
Migrants increasingly use smugglers' small boats, known as pangas, to avoid heavily guarded land borders. These boats often depart Baja California at night and travel hundreds of miles north.