Authorities said the person who later died was among those pulled from the water, along with 16 survivors out of the 19 on board.
One person is dead, two others remain missing, and 16 people have been rescued after a three-story pontoon boat carrying 19 people capsized in the waters near San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island on Tuesday afternoon, sparking a massive search operation involving divers, helicopters and multiple rescue vessels.Emergency crews found the ship upside down and almost completely submerged when they arrived at the scene, San Francisco Fire Department Chief Dean Crispin said. “The ship had capsized and most of it was underwater,” Crispin said.The person who later died was among those pulled from the water along with the 16 survivors, authorities said. A number of those rescued were injured after falling into the water, but there were no reports of burn injuries.Search operations continued until late afternoon for the missing people, as rescue teams deployed divers, helicopters and 11 ships. “We are now in full rescue mode,” Crispin said.The incident was initially reported as a boat fire, but officials later ruled out that possibility. “We now have no evidence of that,” Crispin said.Fire Lt. Mariano Elias said the emergency call was received shortly after 3:30 p.m. local time.
The houseboat was about 600 yards, or about 550 meters, from Alcatraz Island when it capsized.Crispin said he believed the boat left from an area near the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco.All 16 survivors were taken to shore at Jawhouse Cove Marina, a small boating port in San Francisco, where emergency responders assisted them. Television footage from the scene showed fire department rescue boats largely surrounding the sunken ship, with debris floating nearby. Live images also showed a man and woman wrapped in blankets sitting near the ambulance after being rescued.The US Coast Guard and Oakland Police assisted the San Francisco Fire Department in the rescue operation, while authorities continued their efforts to locate the two people who are still missing.