One person has died and two others remain missing after a triple-deck pontoon boat carrying 19 people capsized near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay in the United States on Tuesday, prompting a major search-and-rescue operation. San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said 11 vessels were continuing to search for the two missing people.
Television footage from the scene showed the boat almost completely submerged, with only its upper section visible before it disappeared beneath the surface. The U.S. Coast Guard joined multiple agencies in the rescue effort as authorities worked to locate the missing passengers.
Crispen said the cause of the accident was not yet known. He also dismissed earlier reports of a fire on board, confirming there had been no blaze. A police boat was the first rescue vessel to reach the scene, where officers found a critically injured person. Despite attempts to revive the victim with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the person died.
Of the 19 people on board, 13 reached shore safely, three were taken to hospital, one died and two remained unaccounted for. “We are still conducting an active search of the area,” Crispen said. “We have 11 vessels on the water conducting that search. We are going to continue for hours to make sure that we find these two missing people, if possible.” Although conditions were sunny and calm, local television footage indicated that strong eastbound currents were generating whitecaps, potentially complicating rescue efforts.
Alcatraz Island, a small rocky outcrop in San Francisco Bay, continues to attract millions of visitors each year. The former federal prison, which operated from 1934 to 1963, earned a reputation as escape-proof because of its frigid waters and powerful currents.
Today, it is a National Historic Landmark managed by the U.S. National Park Service.