Rescue after San Francisco boat capsize leaves people trapped under hull

A sailboat capsize in San Francisco left 30 mostly young people trapped under the hull, said authorities. Photograph: The Guardian

A boat with 30 people on board capsized off San Francisco’s Pier 45, the city’s fire department said on Saturday, with some people becoming trapped beneath the hull.

Coast guard divers quickly reached the scene and were able to rescue the people, a spokeswoman for the agency told the Guardian.

Pier 45 San Francisco map

“All 30 people are safe and accounted for,” she said, citing an estimate of passengers, many of whom were young people. She could not provide any specifics about why the boat capsized or who was on board. “There are some adults, but that’s the only information that I have at this time.”

The authorities later described the vessel as a sailboat.

Five adults and three children were taken to hospital, according to the authorities. One child, a five year old boy, was in a critical condition.

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

The department had said in a tweet that some people had become trapped underneath the boat and that US coast guard divers went to their aid.