Officials called off an active search on Wednesday for three passengers who went missing after a triple-deck pontoon boat capsized in San Francisco Bay on Tuesday. The U.S. Coast Guard said it ended search operations at around sunset, leaving the confirmed casualty count at one deceased and three others still unaccounted for and presumed dead.
The pleasure vessel, carrying about 20 people, was struck by a large wave near Alcatraz Island and rolled over before sinking, according to statements from the Coast Guard and the San Francisco Fire Department. Some passengers were reportedly below deck when the wave hit the boat from the side, and officials said that circumstance likely trapped some people as the vessel overturned.
Good Samaritans in nearby boats, including a pair of fishermen, were among those who rushed to the scene and pulled many people from the water or aided those clinging to the hull before professional responders arrived. Emergency personnel from the San Francisco Fire Department and Coast Guard divers joined the rescue effort and conducted searches for the missing.
One person was confirmed dead at the scene. Local television station KPIX-TV, a CBS-owned station, reported that the victim pronounced dead was the boat captain's brother, and that the three others who remained missing and are now presumed dead were the captain's sister, his sister-in-law and a friend. Authorities did not make the identities of the victims public.
The Coast Guard said that as daylight faded and with the water described as frigid, hopes of finding additional survivors diminished, prompting the suspension of the search. Rescue teams had worked through Tuesday and into Wednesday before the decision to stand down was announced.
Investigators and maritime authorities have not released further details about the vessel's condition prior to the wave or the precise sequence of events inside the boat at the moment it capsized. Officials noted that some passengers being below deck when the boat was struck likely contributed to people being trapped as it rolled over.
The suspension of the search leaves the three missing people classified as presumed dead while authorities continue to account for those rescued and confirm details surrounding the incident. Emergency responders and nearby boaters were credited with saving numerous passengers in the immediate aftermath.