One dead, 3 missing after boat sinks off Alcatraz Island

Authorities said one person died Tuesday afternoon after a pontoon boat sank off the coast of San Francisco, near Alcatraz Island. First responders pulled 16 people from the water, and at least three more people remained missing.

The three-deck pontoon vessel carried mostly family members as part of a memorial service, authorities said. The vessel went down roughly 600 yards from the island around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the San Francisco Fire Department. Rescue crews found the ship almost completely underwater after arriving on scene, with fuel leaking and the motor still running.

There were 20 adults and one dog aboard the boat. One of the adults died. The dog on board also died. Witnesses reported that the boat started taking on water after traveling through rough water, before it turned over in the bay, San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen told local outlet KGO-TV. It remained unclear what caused the three-story, 49-foot pontoon to sink.

How is search and rescue going? Officials deployed rescue divers, along with helicopters and other boats, to search for the missing passengers. The U.S. Coast Guard continued searching for the three missing passengers into late Tuesday and has not yet reclassified the operation as a recovery effort.