A three-deck leisure boat carrying 19 people capsized and sank between Devil’s Island and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco Bay on July 14 (Tuesday), resulting in 1 death, 2 missing persons, and 16 people rescued. A significant number of maritime and land rescue personnel are continuing the search for the missing in the bay area waters, and the United States Coast Guard is expected to investigate the cause of the accident.
San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispin announced at a press conference that the fire department received a report at 3:35 pm indicating a vessel on fire approximately 600 yards from Devil’s Island. The involved vessel is a three-deck floating pontoon boat, and when rescuers arrived, two decks had already submerged.
However, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and fire officials stated in the evening that although reports initially suggested the vessel caught fire, rescue personnel did not receive further fire alerts, and no evidence of a fire on the vessel was found at the scene.
Crispin mentioned that two people are still missing. Of the 16 rescued individuals, 13 have been brought ashore, with 3 others taken to local hospitals for treatment. Officials indicated that some of the injured are in serious condition, but details have not been disclosed, and authorities have not identified any children on board.
The leisure boat departed from the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco before capsizing during its voyage. Some passengers were thrown into the water without life jackets. Officials reported that survivors’ injuries were mainly from falls or impacts on the boat, rather than burns.
A dog on board also perished in the accident.
A large-scale rescue operation involved divers, helicopters, and 11 vessels from government agencies and private operators. The rescued passengers were later brought ashore near Fort Mason, with some survivors wrapped in blankets receiving medical treatment on-site. Authorities set up a family reunification center nearby to assist survivors in reconnecting with their loved ones.
Several private boats also participated in the rescue effort. The captain of the San Francisco leisure fishing boat Bass-Tub stated that their crew saved one person. Based on preliminary radio communications, Oakland emergency responders also rescued several passengers.
After the vessel capsized, parts of it initially remained above water, but it eventually sank completely, coming to rest at approximately 120 feet deep on the bay floor. Officials reported fuel leakage from the sunken vessel and that the engine continued to run after the boat sank.
During the incident, the Bay Area was under a coastal flood advisory, expected to last until at least Wednesday. KTVU meteorologist Roberta Gonzales mentioned that while the weather in San Francisco Bay did not seem extreme that day, southwest winds of about 5 to 10 knots, increasing and causing choppy waters, raised the difficulty of the rescue operation.
Gonzales noted that the water temperature near Devil’s Island was only about 61 degrees Fahrenheit, approximately 16 degrees Celsius, posing a life-threatening situation for anyone thrown into the water.
Fire officials stated that winds, tides, and water conditions in San Francisco Bay change rapidly, and missing individuals could be carried by winds and currents towards the east side of the bay. Divers and aircraft continue to search the surface and underwater areas, while personal items from the sunken boat drift on the sea surface.
A fire official remarked, “This search operation will continue for some time. Rescue efforts at this time of year are always very challenging. Winds can be strong or suddenly calm, but regardless, we will keep searching.”
As of Tuesday night, authorities have not released the identities of the deceased and the two missing individuals, nor have they determined the ownership of the vessel and the reason for the capsizing. The United States Coast Guard is expected to launch further investigation into the incident. ◇