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Capsize near Alcatraz
A 49-foot pleasure craft capsized in the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island on Tuesday afternoon, killing Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Sutter County, and leaving three people missing.
“Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Sutter County, died after the three-level recreational vessel sank Tuesday afternoon with 20 people aboard”
Authorities said the boat went down with 20 people aboard after it “took a wave” and quickly rolled over, and the San Francisco Fire Department chief Dean Crispen said the initial alert had indicated a vessel was on fire before first responders found no evidence of a blaze.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it planned to suspend its search for the three missing passengers at sunset after crews spent roughly 23 hours searching more than 950 nautical square miles of San Francisco Bay.
Investigators said the boat rests about 130 feet below the surface and that it is possible the three missing passengers are trapped inside the 49-foot vessel, with plans to use an underwater drone to find the boat before determining whether to recover the victims and raise the vessel.
Rescue efforts involved good Samaritans and commercial fishermen Mike Montoya and Justin Marceline, who described a chaotic scene in which passengers fought to escape as some people did not have life vests on and were drowning.
Search suspended at sunset
U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Commander Capt. Jarod Tosczko said, “We have completely saturated the search area,” and he said the Coast Guard would suspend search and rescue operations by sunset Wednesday evening.
Tosczko also said there was a “high possibility” that individuals could have been trapped inside the vessel, which had three levels including an enclosed lower deck, while survivors indicated occupants were on the main deck and potentially lower deck.
San Francisco Fire Department Chief Dean Crispen said the boat was hit by a wave or took on water and capsized, and he said the man in severe distress was declared deceased when brought to shore after CPR was initiated.
CBS News reported that the Coast Guard had searched over 950 square nautical miles and 1,700 miles of track line for 23 hours straight, and it said the search would be suspended at sunset Wednesday.
The BBC reported that the man who died was Clifford Joseph Boisa, and that the other 13 members on the boat returned safely to shore and were not injured.
What comes next
After the search is suspended, the San Francisco Standard reported that it will become a San Francisco Police Department recovery mission, while Coast Guard commander Jarod Toczko said crews had been “unable to locate any survivors.”
“After that, it will become a San Francisco Police Department recovery mission, officials said at a press conference”
The San Francisco Standard said the 49-foot cabin cruiser Volare was carrying 20 people for a memorial service when it was struck by a wave roughly 600 yards off Alcatraz and tipped on its side before taking water and sinking.
The San Francisco Standard reported that the San Francisco Police Department will lead an inquiry into whether a criminal investigation is underway, and it said Toczko referred further questions to the San Francisco Police Department.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the San Francisco Police Department is working with the state Office of Emergency Services to locate the sunken vessel, and it said that once the boat is located, the department will utilize an underwater drone to assess whether it is structurally sound enough to recover.
Multiple outlets also described the vessel’s depth and recovery constraints, including that the boat sank in a deep channel about 130 feet down and that it would require an underwater drone to determine whether the vessel could be raised.