Coast Guard Rescues 16 Off Mexico, 11 Missing

U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Josh Law pulled 16 people from the rough Pacific after their boat capsized about 140 miles off Mexico’s Baja peninsula before dawn on Oct. 16. Working alone in the water amid darkness, strong rotor wash and 6- to 8-foot waves, the exhausted 24-year-old rescued survivors over roughly two hours; 11 others were never found, and the Coast Guard later ended its search. The survivors were Mexican, and authorities are investigating the boat’s origin and why it was so far offshore. The vessel traveled along a route used by migrant-smuggling boats, but investigators have not established whether it was involved in smuggling or whether it was lost, disabled or intentionally headed out to sea.