Boat washes ashore near San Diego with 3 dead, 4 survivors and 9 unaccounted for

(SAN DIEGO) -- Three dead bodies and four survivors in need of medical care were discovered on a panga boat that washed ashore near San Diego on Monday morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Encinitas Fire Department.

Nine people are unaccounted for, the Coast Guard said.

The boat was reported to be overturned before it washed onto a beach in Del Mar, about 20 miles north of San Diego, the Coast Guard said. Several local agencies are helping with the search, officials said.

"This was a mass casualty incident," Encinitas Deputy Fire Chief Jorge Sanchez said.

"We do have air resources that are sweeping lateral, north and south of the beach. ... We do have lifeguards in the water on boats and jet skis, and we have several resources walking up and down the beach as well, making sure that no one is missed," he said.

The three dead victims were all males, the medical examiner's office told San Diego ABC affiliate KGTV. Their names and ages have not been released.

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