WASHINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military sank an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific on Thursday and three people aboard survived the strike, the U.S. Southern Command said Friday.

"Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," the command said in a press release, accusing the boat of being "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations."

"Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivors. No U.S. military forces were harmed," said the statement.

Since September 2025, the U.S. military has conducted 46 known airstrikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats and killed at least 157 people aboard.

Commander of U.S. Southern Command Francis Donovan told the Senate Armed Services Committee at a hearing on Thursday that the airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats "aren't the answer" to U.S. drug problems.

"Looking forward, senator -- the boat strikes aren't the answer," Donovan said at the hearing. "I believe that actually kinetic strikes will be one of the many tools, and probably not the most effective tool, when we actually look at it as more of a campaign approach."

Earlier this month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held a hearing in Guatemala City on the legality of U.S. boat strikes in the Caribbean and their impact on communities across Latin America, according to a news release from the American Civil Liberties Union. ■