Twenty-three rescued from suspected smuggling boat off San Diego

Incident comes after three people died in another suspected smuggling boat that overturned in the same area

Twenty-three people were rescued from a suspected smuggling boat off the San Diego coast not far from where another vessel broke up a few weeks ago, killing three people.

The small boat, known as a panga, was spotted shortly before 3am on Monday by a US border patrol video system as it drifted near rocks off the coast of Point Loma. The coast guard responded but the craft refused commands to stop, authorities said.