One day after a near catastrophic tragedy in the San Francisco Bay, authorities are combing through evidence in an attempt to figure out how a boat carrying 30 passengers suddenly capsized Saturday afternoon, sending eight people to the hospital.
Public safety officials announced Sunday that crews will use sonar equipment to search for the 34-foot-long vessel after the conclusion of the San Francisco Fleet Week festivities on Sunday.
"It may drift a little bit with the tide, but if it's on the bottom as we suspect, it's not going to move terribly far," said Michael Andraychak of the San Francisco Police Department.
Andraychuk said Sunday their focus was to keep boats out of the air show area. Once the show ended, a full-fledged search was launched.
No charges had been filed as of Sunday, but authorities are investigating to see if alcohol played a role in the capsizing and if the boat was fully stocked with enough available life jackets.
PIER 45 BOAT CAPSIZED WITH ABOUT 30 JUV ON BOAT SOME ARE TRAPPED UNDER THE HULL. USCG BOAT/HELIO/DIVERS EN ROUTE. pic.twitter.com/KnEKFVgpjx
— San Francisco Fire (@sffdpio) October 8, 2016
Everyone aboard the vessel is expected to survive, including a 4-year-old child who was plucked from the water and found to be unconscious. A good Samaritan and rescue crews initiated CPR on the child before rushing the youngster to a local hospital.
Thanks to the quick-thinking of other boaters in the area who heaved life jackets to those stranded in the cold water along with the large contingency of emergency crews nearby participating in Fleet Week, all 30 passengers were brought to safety in roughly 30 minutes.
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"This could have been really, really catastrophic," Bob Postel from the San Francisco Fire Department said. "For this to have the outcome that it did is really a lot of good fortune and good luck."
This is the second time in five weeks that a boat has capsized in the bay. Back in September, a catamaran took on water and sent all 16 passengers into the water. No one was injured during that accident.
