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What caused the
boat to overturn at Pier 45 along the city's famed bayside
northern waterfront was under investigation, but there was no
immediate evidence of foul play, said city fire department
Lieutenant Jonathan Baxter.
All 30 people - 27 adults and three children - who were aboard
the recreational craft were thrown into the frigid water when it
capsized shortly at 4 p.m. local time, and at least three
passengers were trapped beneath the boat, Baxter said.
Rescue swimmers from the city police and fire departments and
U.S. Coast Guard arrived at the scene quickly and pulled all the
victims from the water, though eight people - five adults and
three children - were taken to area hospitals with injuries,
according to Baxter.
"Everybody has been accounted for. Everybody survived," he said,
adding that two of the injured were youngsters listed in
critical condition.
He attributed the swift response of rescuers to a
greater-than-usual number of police, fire and Coast Guard units
that happened to be patrolling the waterfront as part of San
Francisco's week-long annual "Fleet Week" celebration on the
bay.
Baxter said the size and type of the vessel involved was not
immediately known, but local media reported it was a
recreational sailboat.
(Reporting by Emmett Berg in San Francisco; Writing and
additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by
Bill Rigby, Toni Reinhold)
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