One person died and two others remained missing after a triple-deck pontoon boat carrying 19 people capsized near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay on Tuesday, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation.
According to officials, emergency responders launched an extensive rescue mission after the vessel overturned in the bay. San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said 11 rescue vessels were deployed to search for the two missing passengers, while the US Coast Guard joined local agencies in the ongoing operation.
Television footage from the scene showed the boat partially submerged before it eventually disappeared beneath the water.
Authorities said the cause of the accident has not yet been determined. Crispen also clarified that, contrary to initial reports, there was no fire aboard the vessel before it capsized.
A police boat was the first to reach the scene and found one passenger with critical injuries. Despite receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the individual was pronounced dead.
Of the 19 people on board, 13 were rescued safely, three were transported to hospital, one person died, and two remained unaccounted for as rescue teams continued searching the waters.
“We are still conducting an active search of the area,” Crispen said, adding that rescue crews would remain on the water for several hours in hopes of locating the missing individuals.
Although weather conditions were clear and sunny, officials noted that strong eastbound currents in San Francisco Bay may have contributed to the incident.
Alcatraz Island, once home to the infamous federal prison that operated from 1934 to 1963, is now a popular tourist attraction and a National Historic Landmark managed by the National Park Service.
