Sixteen people are alive and receiving care in San Diego after a dramatic overnight rescue in the Pacific Ocean off Baja California. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a distress call in Spanish came in at about 1 a.m.

Friday reporting 27 people in the water as the vessel took on water and sank roughly 140 miles — about 225 kilometers — west of Ensenada.

San Diego-based crews arrived around 2 a.m. and, working through dark, open-ocean conditions, spent about 90 minutes pulling all 16 survivors from among floating debris. The Mexican consulate in San Diego confirmed all those rescued were Mexican nationals and has offered consular assistance.

What makes the rescue remarkable is the sheer difficulty of the conditions. The Coast Guard's Charlie Valor told City News Service crews were checking the debris area to gauge where survivors could be located based on currents, waves and wind, adding, "We're giving it our all."

According to Fakti.bg, quoting the Associated Press, a rescue helicopter arrived about two hours after the call, and Lt. Santiago Tamburini described people "holding onto each other, to debris, just treading and trying to stay above water."

The rescue spanned an operation area of roughly 3,200 square kilometers, with two helicopters, a plane, a Coast Guard cutter, the USS Kingsville, a Navy helicopter and the Mexican Navy all taking part.

Fakti.bg reports that three people were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital — one treated for injuries consistent with a shark bite and two with cold-exposure complaints — while three others were treated at Scripps Memorial Hospital and later released.

cristinaiglesias.com reports medical personnel began administering life-saving aid aboard Coast Guard transport vessels, with two of the rescued listed in critical condition. While the outcome for some remains serious, sixteen families have loved ones alive after a night in open ocean.

Eleven people remain unaccounted for, and the Coast Guard says hope is the driving force behind the continuing effort.

"We are using these resources because we have reason to believe there is a possibility they are still alive and able to be rescued," Petty Officer Charlie Valor told City News Service. Fakti.bg quotes Capt.

Rob Tucker of Coast Guard Sector San Diego saying, "As long as we believe there is a possibility of rescue, we will continue to search," and an additional helicopter was deployed Saturday.

cristinaiglesias.com quotes Tucker calling offshore conditions "unforgivable," underscoring why crews are racing to find survivors quickly.

Joint air and sea searches continue across the Pacific corridor, with the Coast Guard coordinating alongside the U.S. Navy and Mexican Navy — cooperation the service publicly called grateful and ongoing.

The cause of the sinking and the purpose of the voyage remain under investigation: the Coast Guard said the vessel was traveling a route associated with maritime smuggling into the United States, while the area is also used by fishing and recreational vessels.

Authorities have not established the vessel's origin or destination, and consular representatives and Customs and Border Protection officials are interviewing survivors to piece together the trip.

The rescue effort itself, however, stands as the story's hopeful core: sixteen lives saved through rapid multinational coordination.