SAN FRANCISCO — Authorities in San Francisco on Tuesday confirmed that one person and one dog are dead after a pontoon boat sank near Alcatraz Island off San Francisco. 

On Tuesday night, authorities said three remained missing, up from the two that were initially reported missing. Earlier on Tuesday, San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen reported that the three-deck pontoon vessel was carrying 19 people, but by Tuesday night and after witness accounts, that number had gone up to 20.

Of those on the boat, 13 were not injured and have been placed in the family reunification center at Fort Mason. Three individuals were injured and transported to a local hospital. They are in stable condition and expected to be released Tuesday night. 

The people on the boat were reportedly having a memorial when they were hit by a wave or took on water before the boat capsized, according to officials. 

Initially, the incident was reported as a boat fire, “but we now don’t have any evidence of that,” Crispen said.

“It was a vessel that was capsized and mostly under the water,” Crispen said.

Some people were injured from falling into the water, but there were no reports of burns, Crispen said. The person who died was alive when plucked from the frigid waters by rescue crews but later died.

Crews continued to search the water for the three missing with divers, helicopters and 11 vessels, Crispen said.

“Right now we are in full rescue mode,” he added.

All those rescued were taken to Gashouse Cove Marina, a small craft harbor in San Francisco.

Live video from the scene showed a man and a woman wrapped in blankets and sitting near an ambulance.

Fire Lt. Mariano Elias said the vessel, described as a “ponton pleasure boat,” was about 600 yards from Alcatraz Island when the incident started.

This afternoon, there was a boat that sunk in the San Francisco Bay. SFFD, in coordination with SFPD, Oakland PD, and the Coast Guard, responded to the scene right away—so far, they’ve rescued 16 passengers with two people missing and one deceased. My thoughts are with that… pic.twitter.com/ltnF5xrIiI

— Daniel Lurie 丹尼爾·羅偉 (@DanielLurie) July 15, 2026

Crispen said the boat was believed to have launched near the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. A person who answered the phone there said the club did not have any information on what happened.

The waters around Alcatraz Island, once a federal prison and now a tourist destination, attract sailboats and other recreational vessels.

The Oakland Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard were also assisting in the search and rescue operations.