At least one person died and two remained missing near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay after a boat carrying 19 people capsized on Tuesday (local time), officials said.
Authorities said that at least 16 people were rescued from the pontoon boat; 13 were safe, while three were taken to the hospital.
Here’s what we know
The incident occurred around 3:35 pm after a vessel caught fire around 600 yards off , AP reported. San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen later said crews arrived at the scene near Alcatraz Island and found a three-deck pontoon vessel.
He said, “It was a vessel that was capsized and mostly under the water,” and added that the mishap was initially reported as a fire, “but we now don’t have any evidence of that.”
The pontoon boat was believed to have been launched near the St Francis Yacht Club in .
Crispen added that when first responders arrived, some people were already in the water, others were on the sinking pontoon boat, and more were falling into the water.
According to AP, several were injured after falling into the water, though there were no reports of burns. The person who died was pulled out along with those rescued, but was later pronounced dead.
All those were moved to Gashouse Cove Marina, a small craft harbour in San Francisco.
According to Crispen, crews continue to search the water for two missing people with divers, helicopters and 11 vessels.
He added, “Right now we are in full rescue mode.” NBC News, citing Crispen, said that during this time of year, whitecaps in the water are common, making conditions challenging. He, however, added that regardless of the wind, “we’re going to continue to search either way.”
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said, “This is an all-hands-on-deck search and hopefully rescue.”
In a post on X, Lurie wrote, “This afternoon, there was a boat that sank in the San Francisco Bay. SFFD, in coordination with SFPD, Oakland PD, and the Coast Guard, responded to the scene right away—so far, they’ve rescued 16 passengers, with two people missing and one deceased. My thoughts are with that person’s family, and I am hoping for a quick recovery for all who were affected. Multiple agencies continue to search for those who are missing.”
(with agency inputs)
