US military strike on suspected drug vessels kills 5; US Coast Guard searching for survivors

The United States Coast Guard is searching for survivors of a US military strike against a convoy of suspected drug vessels in the Pacific Ocean, US officials say.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has carried out more than 30 strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September in a campaign that has killed at least 110 people.

In a statement, the US military’s Southern Command says the military had carried out a strike against three vessels.

“Three narco-terrorists aboard the first vessel were killed in the first engagement. The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels,” US Southern Command writes on X.

“A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions – three in the first vessel and two in the second,” it adds.

A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says eight people had abandoned their vessels and were being searched for.

The Coast Guard tells Reuters it deployed a C-130 aircraft to look for survivors and was working with vessels in the area.

This is not the first time there have been survivors of a US strike under the Trump administration. In October, two survivors were repatriated to their home countries after surviving a US military strike.

The lethal strikes on drug vessels are part of a broader campaign that the Trump administration says is aimed at cutting off the supply of illegal drugs. Legal experts and Democratic lawmakers have questioned the legality of the strikes.