San Francisco Police Recover Body During Search for Sunken Vessel
San Francisco police recovered a body from the water west of Treasure Island Thursday afternoon during the search and recovery effort for three missing passengers who were aboard a boat that capsized near Alcatraz Tuesday afternoon.
The San Francisco Police Department said in a news release that officers assigned to a marine unit were conducting sonar scanning around 1 p.m. when a passing vessel alerted them to the body.
The identity of the person has not been released. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to release the name publicly after notifying the person’s next of kin.
SFPD Marine Unit divers have been coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard to locate the vessel, which is estimated to be at least 120 feet below sea level on a rocky seabed, according to the agency.
SFPD took over the recovery operation after the Coast Guard suspended its search for the missing people, all family and close friends who had embarked on a trip on the San Francisco Bay for a memorial, at sunset Wednesday night.
Coast Guard Capt. Jarod Toczko said officers had covered a 950 square nautical mile area, with no success, during their 29-hour search.
“Suspending an active search is one of the most difficult things we do as Coast Guard commanders,” Toczko told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t take that responsibility lightly at all. Our goal is always to bring home families, loved ones, and we understand that families want answers. And that is never lost on us.”
He said there’s a “high possibility” that the remaining passengers could be trapped inside the 49-foot multi-story boat, which took on a wave and quickly lost stability.
“We’ve done survivor debriefs, and we do know that individuals were in the main deck and potentially below deck,” he said. “However, that is gonna come out in the investigation stage of this. We’re still focused on the search and rescue, trying our best to see if we can locate the three missing individuals.”
According to Ralph Boisa, 77, whose three siblings and daughter were on the boat, multiple of the missing people were in the main cabin at the time.
Ralph said his daughter, Yvonne Thatcher, who was also on the vessel with her family, told him that she was inside with Ralph’s older brother, Clifford, his wife, Jackie, and a third woman when they began to take on water.
“She managed to get to the door and get out, just before the boat fully went under,” Ralph said.
First responders rescued Clifford Boisa, 79, in “severe distress” and initiated CPR, but after transporting him to Gas House Cove in the Marina District, he was pronounced dead. Ralph and Clifford’s sister, Carol, Jackie and a third woman, who has not been identified, are still missing. Sixteen other passengers were rescued, in part thanks to civilian fishing boats and a kiteboarder.
SFPD officials say once the vessel is located, the department will work with the Coast Guard and other partners to determine recovery options.
On Wednesday, SFPD Commander Brien Hoo said that since the vessel is believed to be at a depth of at least 120 feet, they would work with private companies specializing in diving recovery if pulling the boat out is feasible.