SAN FRANCISCO: One person died, two people were missing and 16 others from a pontoon boat were rescued Tuesday afternoon from the waters off San Francisco, authorities said.
San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen reported the toll and said crews that arrived on the scene near Alcatraz Island found a three-deck pontoon vessel that was carrying 19 people.
"It was a vessel that was capsized and mostly under the water," Crispen said.
The boating mishap was initially reported as a fire, "but we now don't have any evidence of that," Crispen said.
Some of the people were injured from falling into the water, but there were no reports of burns, Crispen said. The person who died was plucked from the water along with the 16 but died later.
Crews continued to search the water for the missing with divers, helicopters and 11 vessels, he added: "Right now we are in full rescue mode."
All those rescued were taken to Gashouse Cove Marina, a small craft harbour in San Francisco.
Fire Lt. Mariano Elias said the vessel, described as a "ponton pleasure boat," was about 600 yards (about 550 meters) from Alcatraz and the emergency call came in just after 3:30 p.m., he said.
Crispen said the boat was believed to have launched near the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco
Video images from a local Fox station showed a Fire Department boat deployed to rescue people who had been on the vessel, which was largely submerged with objects floating nearby.
Live video from the scene showed a man and a woman wrapped in blankets and sitting near an ambulance.
The Coast Guard and Oakland police also helped rescue people, Elias said.
