At least three people died, and seven others went missing after a small boat capsized off the coast near San Diego, California, US, officials said on Tuesday.

The United States Coast Guard said the panga-style vessel overturned in the vicinity of Del Mar beach.

"The seven missing individuals were reported to be missing Monday morning after survivors of an overturned panga-style vessel reported that there were missing and unaccounted-for people to local first responders," read the statement issued by the Coast Guard.

The four injured were sent to hospitals, authorities told CNN.

Their injuries range from mild to severe, Encinitas Deputy Fire Chief Jorge Sanchez was quoted as saying by the American news channel.

A total of 17 life jackets were found, but it’s unclear exactly how many people were on the capsized panga-style boat, California State Parks told CNN in an email.

According to CBS News, the boat was carrying two children.

Smuggling

The Coast Guard official told CBS News that it is treating it as a suspected human smuggling incident.

California State Parks, Del Mar Lifeguards, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, the US Coast Guard and the US Border Patrol were among the multiple US agencies that responded to the situation.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has suspended its search Monday night pending further developments.

"In total, the responding assets searched for a combined nearly 28 hours, covering more than 520 square nautical miles," read the statement issued by Coast Guard.

According to reports, no arrests have been made so far.

The US Coast Guard shared an image of the capsized boat on its X handle.

Three Deaths

The three people who died in the incident were male, media reports said.

The three people who died were male, according to the medical examiner’s office as quoted by The San Diego Union Tribune.

Two were Mexican nationals, the Mexican Consulate was quoted as saying by the newspaper.