Video: U.S. Forces Strike Four Vessels In Eastern Pacific, 14 Killed, One Survivor Found

The United States military carried out three coordinated strikes on four suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on October 27, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor, according to U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The operations were ordered by President Donald Trump and marked the first time multiple vessels were targeted in a single day.

Secretary Hegseth stated through social media that the vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organisations engaged in narcotics trafficking. He said eight people were killed on the first vessel, four on the second, and three on the third.

No U.S. personnel were harmed in the strikes, which reportedly took place in international waters.

The survivor’s rescue is being coordinated by the Mexican Navy after a request from the U.S. Coast Guard, according to Hegseth’s post.

The Mexican Navy said it had deployed an ocean patrol vessel and a maritime patrol aircraft more than 400 miles southwest of Acapulco to search for the survivor. It confirmed that the operation began after receiving information from U.S. authorities.

In its post on X, the Mexican Navy said the rescue operation was still underway and that the person was believed to be a crew member from one of the targeted vessels.

President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, told reporters during her daily news briefing that her government was informed about the U.S. strikes and the possible survivor earlier on Tuesday.

Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.

The four vessels were known by our intelligence… pic.twitter.com/UhoFlZ3jPG

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 28, 2025

She stated that the incident occurred in international waters and had instructed Mexico’s Foreign Minister, Juan Ramón de la Fuente, to meet with the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ron Johnson, and to work with the navy to verify details of the case.

Since early September, at least 13 strikes have been carried out against alleged drug-smuggling vessels, first in the Caribbean and now extended to the Pacific. Per reports, 57 people have been killed in these operations so far, with only three survivors.

Earlier this month, a similar U.S. strike in the Caribbean left two survivors who were briefly detained by the U.S. Navy before being repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia.

The administration has justified the strikes under U.S. Title 10, claiming they were acts of self-defence. A memo shared with members of Congress earlier this month described drug traffickers as “unlawful combatants” and the drug trade itself as an “armed attack” on the United States. Lawmakers from both parties have questioned whether such operations comply with U.S. and international law.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticised the strikes, claiming some of those killed were Colombian fishermen, not narcotics traffickers. The U.S. government, however, has maintained that those targeted were involved in drug smuggling operations.

In his statement, Hegseth said the Department of War had spent decades defending other nations and was now “defending our own.” He said narcotics traffickers had caused more American deaths than Al-Qaeda and would be “treated the same,” vowing to continue tracking and targeting them.

References: USNI, CNN

Source: Maritime Shipping News