One dead, two missing after boat carrying 19 capsizes near San Francisco's Alcatraz Island

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: One person has died, and two others remain missing after a pontoon boat carrying 19 people capsized in the waters near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday, July 14, prompting a massive rescue operation involving divers, helicopters, and multiple emergency agencies.

Rescue underway after Alcatraz boat capsizes

According to the San Francisco Fire Department, emergency crews responded shortly after 3:30 pm local time to reports of a boat fire about 600 yards off Alcatraz Island. However, Fire Chief Dean Crispen later said investigators found no evidence of a fire.

"It was a vessel that was capsized and mostly under the water," Crispen told reporters.

Authorities rescued 16 people from the water, while one person later died after being pulled from the bay. Two others remain missing, with search efforts continuing Tuesday evening.

The rescue operation involves crews from the San Francisco Fire Department, the US Coast Guard, the Oakland Police Department, divers, helicopters, and 11 rescue vessels combing the area.

"Right now we are in full rescue mode," Crispen said.

Survivors rescued from San Francisco Bay

Officials said several of the rescued passengers suffered injuries after falling into the water, though no burn injuries were reported, further ruling out the initial reports of a fire aboard the vessel.

All 16 survivors were transported to Gashouse Cove Marina, where emergency medical personnel evaluated them. Television footage from the scene showed survivors wrapped in blankets as ambulances waited nearby. 

Fire Lt Mariano Elias described the vessel as a three-deck "pontoon pleasure boat" carrying 19 people. Authorities believe it departed from the area near the St. Francis Yacht Club before the incident.

Images from the scene showed the boat almost entirely submerged, with debris floating in the surrounding waters as rescue crews searched for the missing passengers.

The cause of the capsizing remains under investigation, and officials have not yet determined what caused the vessel to overturn. Authorities have not released the identities of the deceased or the missing individuals, and the search operation remains active.