Three dead, nine missing as boat overturns off California

LOS ANGELES, United States: Three people have died and nine are missing, including two children, after a boat overturned off the California coast, officials said on Monday.

The US Coast Guard was alerted to a vessel in trouble near Del Mar, north of San Diego, around 6:30 am (1330 GMT), spokesman Hunter Schnabel said. A boat and a helicopter was dispatched to the spot, where four people were rescued and taken to hospital.

“Three people were located and found to be deceased,” he said. Interviews with survivors indicated that there are nine people still missing, two of whom are thought to be children, Schnabel said.