One person is dead and two others are missing after a recreational boat believed to be carrying 19 people sank off Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay on Tuesday. Search efforts are ongoing.
First responders found an individual at the scene and “immediately initiated” CPR, according to San Francisco Fire Department Chief Dean Crispen. The individual was taken to the shore and later declared dead.
“My thoughts are with that person’s family, and I am hoping for a quick recovery for all who were affected,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement on X. “Multiple agencies continue to search for those who are missing.”
Another 16 people were rescued and taken ashore near Fort Mason, the fire department said. Authorities reportedly initially told the San Francisco Chronicle it appears an explosion took place onboard the boat, though a definite cause for the incident has not been confirmed.
Three survivors have been brought to California Pacific Medical Center Van Ness in San Francisco to treat unspecified injuries. Those rescued from the wreck showed signs of impact injuries, likely from hitting the water, Crispen said.
San Francisco firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard began responding to the incident around 3:30 p.m. The boat capsized about 600 yards off Alcatraz, according to officials.
The Coast Guard initially described the incident as a “vessel fire,” though the fire department later said it did not encounter evidence of a fire on the vessel or among survivors.
“Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, and a triage area has been established ashore,” the Coast Guard wrote in a statement on X.
A dog onboard the vessel also died, the fire department said. No children are thought to have been on the boat.
Local news footage showed the maroon and white boat sinking beneath the waves.
There are reportedly 11 vessels searching the bay for survivors. Rescue divers are also scouring the area, and first responders on jet skis could be seen earlier in the day.
Private boats also aided the search, the mayor said.
The Coast Guard told The Independent it had deployed “multiple air and surface assets” as part of the rescue effort.
“The Coast Guard’s top priority is the safety of everyone involved,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, and we will provide additional information as it becomes available.”
Officials said whitecaps could complicate the search effort, but that the conditions will not deter rescuers. Searchers have been at work for about three hours so far.
The names of those dead, missing and rescued in this incident have not been publicly announced.
