A boat sinking near Alcatraz on Tuesday resulted in one fatality and three people still missing, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Seventeen individuals were rescued from the 49-foot cabin cruiser, the Volare, which began sinking approximately 600 yards off the island between Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Rescuers from multiple agencies described a harrowing scene as they pulled individuals from the water. Commercial fishermen Mike Montoya and Justin Marceline, who were among the first to respond, reported seeing people banging on windows and struggling in the water, some without life vests. "Some people didn’t even have life vests on and they were drowning," they told NBC Bay Area.
The San Francisco Police Department Marine 3 vessel was the first public safety vessel on the scene and confirmed that reported smoke was steam from the vessel. Of the 20 people on board, one person required life-saving measures and was pronounced dead, while three others were hospitalized. A dog also perished in the incident.
The Coast Guard and San Francisco Fire Department are continuing the search for the three missing individuals, utilizing thermal imaging, tide prediction, and modeling to guide their efforts. The vessel is believed to have launched from the St. Francis Yacht Club.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie characterized the response as a massive, multi-agency effort, with agencies including the San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Fire Department, United States Coast Guard, Oakland Police Department, Tiburon Fire Department, and Southern Marin Fire Protection District involved in the rescue and search operations. Commercial and recreational vessels in the area also assisted.
James Smith, a charter fishing boat captain with over 35 years of experience on the water, described such incidents as horrifying. The exact cause of the sinking remains unknown.