Search continues for two people off San Pedro
Henry Sanchez and Penny Avila of Santa Ana were reported missing in a boating accident Thursday, authorities say.
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the ocean about five miles off the coast of San Pedro for two people reported missing in a boating accident, authorities said today.
The search began about 7:30 a.m. Thursday after the Coast Guard received a report of a debris field about five miles south of the Los Angeles Harbor, said Stephanie Young of the Coast Guard station in San Pedro.
Two Coast Guard boats and a helicopter are searching for Henry Sanchez, 51, and Penny Avila, 48, both of Santa Ana, who were reportedly aboard a 28-foot Bayliner that departed Long Beach early Thursday bound for Two Harbors on Santa Catalina Island, Young said.
"The Coast Guard suspects the missing vessel was involved in a collision with a barge in the vicinity of the debris field," Young said. "Investigators have identified fiberglass debris on the barge that has been visually matched to fiberglass debris recovered from the water by responders."
The various pieces of debris were taken to the Coast Guard base in San Pedro.
Clear weather today will allow for good search conditions compared with Thursday's dense fog, Young said.
A safety zone of about 500 yards was established around the area while search and recovery operations were conducted, she said. As of this morning, the Coast Guard and its search partners have explored 240 square miles, Young said.
francisco.varaorta@latimes.com
