San Francisco (California, USA), 15 July (LaPresse/AP) – A boat has sunk in the waters off San Francisco, near Alcatraz Island, leaving one person dead, three missing and 16 people rescued. The vessel, a pontoon boat, was carrying mostly members of the same family, who had gathered for a memorial service. Rescue teams arriving at the scene found a three-deck pontoon boat with 20 adults on board; the engine was still running and fuel was leaking. Fire Chief Dean Crispen stated that the boat “had capsized and was almost completely submerged”. Some passengers who were injured after falling into the water were taken to hospital. The authorities are searching for the missing people in the open sea on the western side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The search, involving divers, helicopters and boats, is expected to continue throughout the night. Alcatraz Island, once a federal prison notorious for being impossible to escape from due to the strong ocean currents and cold Pacific waters surrounding it, is now a tourist destination. It is situated in San Francisco Bay, approximately 1.6 kilometres north of the city’s coastline, in an often windy area that attracts sailing boats and other recreational craft. The boating incident had initially been reported as a fire, “but we now have no evidence of that,” said Crispen. The deceased was still alive when they were pulled from the icy waters by the rescue teams; a dog on board also died. Aaron Anfinson, captain of the Bass-Tub, told the San Francisco Chronicle that his boat was taking some guests towards the Golden Gate Bridge in “fairly windy and slightly choppy” waters when a man on a smaller boat signalled them to stop and pointed to a pontoon in the middle of the bay that appeared to be on fire. By the time the Bass-Tub reached it, the flames had already been extinguished, but the pontoon was sinking. Some people were already in the water whilst others remained on board, said Anfinson, adding that they tried to distribute life jackets to the passengers.
US: Boat capsizes near Alcatraz – one dead and three missing
San Francisco (California, USA), 15 July (LaPresse/AP) – A boat has sunk in the waters off San Francisco, near Alcatraz Island, leaving one person dead, three missing and 16 people rescued. The vessel, a pontoon boat, was carrying mostly members of the same family, who had gathered for a memorial service. Rescue teams arriving at the scene found a three-deck pontoon boat with 20 adults on board; the engine was still running and fuel was leaking. Fire Chief Dean Crispen stated that the boat “had capsized and was almost completely submerged”. Some passengers who were injured after falling into the water were taken to hospital. The authorities are searching for the missing people in the open sea on the western side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The search, involving divers, helicopters and boats, is expected to continue throughout the night. Alcatraz Island, once a federal prison notorious for being impossible to escape from due to the strong ocean currents and cold Pacific waters surrounding it, is now a tourist destination. It is situated in San Francisco Bay, approximately 1.6 kilometres north of the city’s coastline, in an often windy area that attracts sailing boats and other recreational craft. The boating incident had initially been reported as a fire, “but we now have no evidence of that,” said Crispen. The deceased was still alive when they were pulled from the icy waters by the rescue teams; a dog on board also died. Aaron Anfinson, captain of the Bass-Tub, told the San Francisco Chronicle that his boat was taking some guests towards the Golden Gate Bridge in “fairly windy and slightly choppy” waters when a man on a smaller boat signalled them to stop and pointed to a pontoon in the middle of the bay that appeared to be on fire. By the time the Bass-Tub reached it, the flames had already been extinguished, but the pontoon was sinking. Some people were already in the water whilst others remained on board, said Anfinson, adding that they tried to distribute life jackets to the passengers.
