A tragic incident occurred near Alcatraz Island when a pontoon boat carrying mostly family members as part of a memorial service sank, resulting in one death and three missing people. The boat, which was almost fully submerged with the motor still running and leaking fuel, was found by crews arriving on the scene.

Rescue Efforts

By Tuesday evening, authorities were searching for the missing in the open ocean on the western side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The search, which involved divers, helicopters, and vessels, was expected to continue all night. Three people who suffered injuries from falling from the boat were taken to a hospital and expected to be released Tuesday night.

The person who died was alive when plucked from the frigid waters by rescue crews but later died. A dog onboard also died. All those rescued were taken to Gashouse Cove Marina, a small craft harbor in San Francisco.

Witness Accounts

Aaron Anfinson, captain of the Bass-Tub, told the San Francisco Chronicle that his boat was carrying guests toward the Golden Gate Bridge in windy and choppy waters when a man on a smaller vessel flagged them down and pointed to a pontoon boat in the middle of the bay that appeared to be on fire.

By the time the Bass-Tub reached it, the flames were out, but the pontoon was sinking. Some people were already in the water while others remained aboard, Anfinson said, adding that they tried to hand out life jackets to the passengers.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.