The mystery of the sunken Ecuadorean fishing boats: U.S. denies drone attacks, taking crews prisoner

March brought tragedy at sea for two Ecuadorian fishing boats in the Pacific, as both crews abandoned ship after their vessels caught fire. The incidents unfolded after the Trump administration had launched a bombing campaign targeting alleged drug boats, a backdrop that has left more questions than answers. Survivors recount drones bombing their boats and crews being taken at gunpoint aboard U.S. military vessels before being turned over to Salvadoran patrol boats and transported to El Salvador. The two 35-ton boats, not the sleek speedboats often shown in DoD footage, underline the uncertainty surrounding what happened at sea.

Eight crew members remained missing or unaccounted for, and survivors described a chaotic transfer: 16 crew from the Negra Francisca Duarte II were brought onto a blue vessel with English-speaking officers, then handed to Salvadoran authorities for transport to El Salvador. In the weeks that followed, Representatives Joaquin Castro and Bill Keating sent letters to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other senior officials demanding a full accounting of the two boats and a third Ecuadorian vessel that went down in January. U.S. officials have denied involvement, and the episodes have intensified calls for answers and regional transparency.