Rescuers were still searching a massive area for three missing people on Wednesday after a boat carrying 20 family members and friends in a memorial service capsized in the cold, fast-moving waters of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, authorities said.
US Coast Guard captain Jared S Toczko said rescuers have cumulatively scoured 950 sq nautical miles (3,260 sq km) and will continue searching until sundown Wednesday before ending rescue efforts.
Toczko would not dismiss the possibility that those missing could still be alive, though he also said some could have been trapped inside the three-deck, 49-ft (15-meter) cabin cruiser.
“We do know individuals were in the main deck and potentially below deck,” he said.
At least one person and one dog died, and 16 people were rescued after the boat capsized on Tuesday afternoon in what witnesses described as “rough seas”, said Dean Crispen, San Francisco’s fire chief.
“Apparently the vessel began to take on water and was turned over in the bay,” Crispen said at a news conference on Tuesday. The vessel’s motor was still running and leaking fuel when rescuers arrived, he said.
Tockzo said there were life jackets on board the boat and that some people were rescued wearing them, though witnesses said several people were in the water without them.
First responders found a “severely injured” individual upon arriving at the vessel and initiated CPR. The person was brought to shore, where they were declared deceased. Divers and helicopters were also dispatched to the scene to aid in rescue efforts.
The person who died was identified as Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, from rural Sutter county in the Sacramento valley, the San Francisco medical examiner said.
Videos from Tuesday showed rescue boats surrounding the largely submerged vessel as debris floated nearby.
The owners of the boat, named Volare, are John Boisa and Miriam Boisa of Stockton, Coast Guard records show. They did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Boisa declined to answer questions from reporters about the victims or why they were on the boat.
“All of us are grieving during this time,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Search teams were using thermal imaging, tide prediction and modeling to guide their efforts, the department said. By Tuesday evening, authorities were searching the open ocean west of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Initial callers reported what appeared to be smoke coming from the boat, but San Francisco police officers who first reached the vessel determined it was steam.
The boat did not depart from St Francis Yacht Club, as authorities originally said, but instead left from an adjacent marina. In a Wednesday social media post, the yacht club also clarified that none of its members had been onboard. “Our hearts go out to the friends and family of those on board … we share this Bay and therefore, understand the weight of this tragedy,” the club wrote.
After leaving the marina, the boat passed under the Golden Gate Bridge twice and visited Angel Island state park in the bay before the apparent return trip, according to the ship-tracking website VesselFinder. Angel Island, the largest natural island in the bay, is known for sweeping views of the city.
Elias said the vessel was about 600 yards (about 550 meters) from Alcatraz and the emergency call came in just after 3.30pm. Alcatraz Island was once an infamously inescapable federal prison due to the chilly waters and strong currents that surround it. The island is about a mile (1.6km) off San Francisco and is now a popular tourist destination.
Once the boat is located, officials will send either divers or an underwater drone to determine if it’s feasible to salvage it, said San Francisco police commander Brien Hoo. If the boat is under 120 ft (37 meters) of water, it would be difficult for divers to get to it, he said.
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The Associated Press contributed reporting
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