The identity of the man who died after the cabin cruiser he and 19 others were aboard capsized Tuesday afternoon in San Francisco Bay has been released.
Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, of Sutter County, was identified by the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Wednesday morning. Three other passengers from the 50-foot cabin cruiser Volare remain missing.
At about 3:37 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, multiple callers reported a vessel in distress or on fire in San Francisco Bay, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.
The first unit to arrive confirmed that the Volare was in distress and that callers had mistaken steam for smoke. San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said crews received reports that the vessel had taken on water and overturned in the bay.
The passengers are believed to be from the Stockton and Sacramento areas. Crispen said most were adult family members gathered for a memorial service.
A marine unit spotted a man in the water in severe distress. Responders pulled him aboard a rescue vessel and began CPR, Crispen said. The man was transported to Gashouse Cove, where he was pronounced dead.
Initially, officials believed 19 people had been aboard the vessel, but witness accounts later increased the passenger count to 20, Crispen said. Seventeen people were rescued from the water.
Thirteen passengers were uninjured and taken to a family reunification center at Fort Mason. Three others were transported to a hospital and were expected to be released Tuesday evening.
A dog aboard the vessel also died.
As of Wednesday morning, officials had not released information about the three missing passengers, including their genders. Search efforts were expected to continue Wednesday.
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This article originally appeared on The Record: 79-year-old victim identified after boat capsizes in San Francisco Bay
Reporting by Victoria Franco, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Victoria Franco, The Stockton Record | USA TODAY Network
