Overview
- A 50‑foot, three‑deck cabin cruiser named Volare overturned and sank roughly 600 yards off Alcatraz after emergency calls on Tuesday, and witnesses reported rough seas before the capsize.
- Multiple agencies deployed a large search‑and‑rescue response that used 11 vessels, helicopters, divers, thermal imaging and tide‑modeling to comb the bay through the night.
- Rescuers recovered 16–17 people to shore, three were hospitalized with non‑life‑threatening injuries, one adult was pronounced dead and officials said 2–3 people remained unaccounted for.
- Authorities said there was no confirmed onboard fire, that reported smoke was likely steam, and early accounts indicate the boat either was struck by a wave or took on water; the Coast Guard will investigate.
- Search conditions are hard because San Francisco Bay water is cold and currents are strong, which shortens survival time and shaped the decision to suspend active surface searching at sundown after exhaustive efforts.