Three dead in yacht race accident

Three crew members of a yacht were found dead and a fourth person was missing after they ran into trouble during a race off the coasts of California and Mexico.

The 37-foot Aegean was participating in the 125-mile Newport, California to Ensenada, Mexico, yacht race when vessels near the Coronado Islands in Mexico reported seeing debris from the sailboat, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Henry Dunphy.

Searchers found the bodies and debris from the Aegean, whose home port is Redondo Beach, California, Dunphy said.

The Coast Guard said it was trying to determine what happened to the boat.

Dunphy said conditions were fine for sailing.

A total of 210 boats were registered in the 65th annual yacht race, according to the Newport Ocean Sailing Association's website.

The association's commodore, Chuck Iverson, said: “This has never happened in the entire 65 years of the race that I'm aware of,” said. “We're all shocked by this whole event.”

The Coronado Islands are four small, largely uninhabited islands about 15 miles south of San Diego.

AP