LOS ANGELES, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Coast Guard announced Monday that it had suspended its search for an estimated 11 people missing off Mexico's Baja California coast after rescuing 16 people from the Pacific Ocean on Friday.
The search was suspended Sunday evening after the Coast Guard, working with Mexico and the U.S. Navy, searched more than 6,320 square km over a combined 89 hours, according to an official statement.
San Diego Coast Guard launched an operation after receiving distress calls at about 1 a.m. Friday local time (0900 GMT) reporting a vessel carrying 27 people taking on water about 225 km west of Ensenada, a coastal city in Mexico's Baja California state.
A Coast Guard aircrew from Ventura, California, rescued 16 people. The survivors were taken to hospitals in San Diego for medical assessment and treatment.
The Mexican Consulate General in San Diego confirmed that all 16 rescued people were Mexican nationals, NBC 7 reported.
The Coast Guard said the incident was under federal investigation. Earlier, Capt. Robert Tucker, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Diego, said the vessel was following a route normally used in illegal maritime smuggling operations. ■
