Crews search ocean west of Golden Gate Bridge for three missing
One person died and three others were missing Tuesday after a three-deck pontoon boat carrying 20 people capsized and sank in San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, authorities said.
San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said crews arriving at the scene found the vessel almost fully submerged, with its motor still running and leaking fuel. Sixteen people were rescued from the water. Three were taken to a hospital; Crispen said they were expected to be released Tuesday night.
The accident turned what was intended as a memorial service into a search-and-rescue operation. Crispen told reporters that authorities initially reported two missing but updated the number to three after hearing from witnesses.
“Right now we are in full rescue mode,” Crispen said.
By Tuesday evening, the search had moved to the open ocean on the western side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Officials said it would continue through the night, using divers, helicopters and surface vessels.
Alcatraz Island, once a federal prison known for being inescapable due to strong ocean currents and cold Pacific waters, is now a tourist destination and a popular spot for sailboats and other recreational vessels. It sits about a mile north of San Francisco’s shoreline in an often windy stretch of the bay.