1 Dead, 3 Missing After Pontoon-Style Boat Sinks Near Alcatraz Island

One person is dead and three others are missing after a pontoon boat capsized Tuesday afternoon near Alcatraz Island, according to authorities.

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Authorities responded following multiple 911 distress calls about a vessel in distress around 3:37 p.m. local time, according to a San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) press release shared with the Daily Caller. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Marine 3 reached the scene first and verified that a 49-foot boat was in distress with steam 911 callers had mistaken for smoke. Officials said the ship was a pontoon-style pleasure vessel, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Seventeen people were rescued from the water, with one requiring life-saving measures and later succumbing to their injuries, the SFFD said. Three are in stable condition after being taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. A dog who was aboard the boat also died, according to the press release.

A total of 20 passengers were aboard the boat, with three still missing, according to witnesses cited by the SFFD. Officials said the passengers were all adults and the boat had set off from Stockton, California, NBC News reported. Authorities said the boat was potentially hit by a wave in rough waters.

“Our understanding was there was some kind of memorial service that they were engaging in. That’s why they were using this particular vessel,” San Francisco Fire Chief Crispen said during a Tuesday night news conference.

Crispen also indicated that the fire department was in “full rescue mode” amid search and rescue efforts to locate the three missing passengers.

“We are going to continue for hours to make sure that we find these … missing people, if possible,” Crispen said. (RELATED: Bison Hurls Grandfather Eight Feet Into The Air After Charging Children In Yellowstone National Park)

The U.S. Coast Guard and the SFFD continued to search for the three missing passengers as of 8:30 p.m. local time, the SFFD said.

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A crew member on a recreational boat nearby witnessed the incident and the crew to the scene to help, according to KTVU. The crew member, who requested anonymity, said “life jackets were everywhere.”

“There were people clinging to the top of it, there were people in the water, a lot of debris scattered all over the place,” the witness said. “Four or five people were hanging onto the top of that boat, and they were waiting to be taken out of that water.”

“I just wanted to help. I just wanted to get the people out of the water. We had a life ring out; we were ready to toss the life ring out to assist them,” she continued.

While preliminary reports indicate a potential fire aboard the boat, fire officials said they had no evidence to support that claim, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Lt. Joseph England of the Richmond Police Department (RPD) described conditions near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday, according to the outlet. “The conditions were really choppy out there today, super rough,” he said, noting that “sea conditions were very poor.”

The RPD responded to the incident after receiving a mayday call, according to England,

The Daily Caller also contacted the SFPD and the U.S. Coast Guard, neither of whom immediately commented on the incident.

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