Search Continues for Missing People After Boat Capsizes near Alcatraz Island

Rescuers are continuing their efforts to find three individuals missing after a boat involved in a memorial service sank in the icy and swift waters of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island. Authorities reported this development on Wednesday.

One person was pulled from the water but later died, and 16 people were rescued after the vessel capsized on Tuesday afternoon in what witnesses described as ‘rough seas,’ according to San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen.

‘The boat appears to have started taking on water and overturned in the bay,’ Crispen stated during a Tuesday press conference. When rescuers arrived, the boat’s engine was still running and was leaking fuel.

Video footage from Tuesday showed rescue boats surrounding the mostly submerged vessel as debris floated nearby. A dog on board also perished.

Lieutenant Mariano Elias, spokesperson for the fire department, described the vessel as a 50-foot recreational boat with a cabin and upper deck, named Volare, registered in Stockton, California. Search teams used thermal imaging, tide predictions, and models to guide their efforts. By Tuesday night, authorities searched open waters west of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Initial calls reported smoke coming from the vessel, but first responders determined the smoke was steam. According to VesselFinder, a tracking website, the boat departed from or near the St. Francis Yacht Club, passed under the Golden Gate Bridge twice, visited Angel Island State Park in the bay, before its apparent return journey. A person answering the phone at the yacht club on Tuesday said they had no information.

Alcatraz Island was once a federal prison known for being nearly impossible to escape from due to the frigid and strong currents surrounding it. Located roughly one mile from San Francisco, it is now a popular tourist destination. Elias noted the vessel was approximately 600 yards from Alcatraz when the emergency call was received shortly after 3:30 p.m.

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Contributors to this report include Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Ed White in Detroit; Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California; Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and Noah Berger in San Francisco.