SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Two children pulled out of the San Francisco Bay in critical condition after a recreational sailboat carrying 30 people capsized are doing well, and one has been released from the hospital, officials said Sunday.
A child who was not breathing when he was pulled from the water Saturday and required CPR remains hospitalized in stable condition, the San Francisco Fire Department said. A third child and five adults were also hospitalized.
The 34-foot sailboat named Khaleesi was carrying 27 adults and three children capsized for unknown reasons Saturday afternoon about 100 yards off Pier 45, San Francisco Police Officer Giselle Talkoff said.
One 5-year-old boy, who was unconscious and not breathing when he was pulled out of the water, was eventually revived, said Jonathan Baxter, a public information officer for San Francisco Fire Department. Another 5-year-old boy was also initially listed in critical condition but was later downgraded to stable, he added.
All eight people who were hospitalized were expected to survive, Baxter said.
Video and photographs posted on social media showed people floating near a capsized boat while good Samaritans threw red life vests into the water. Other photographs shoed youths and adults barefoot and wrapped in thick gray blankets on shore after being rescued. The boat was fully submerged in the water.
Fisherman David Griffiths told the San Francisco Chronicle he tossed life jackets to the people in the water. He was taking off his shoes and getting ready to jump in when the first rescue teams arrived, Griffiths said.
Fire Department Assistant Chief Bob Postel said rescue teams from the fire and police departments and the U.S. Coast Guard all rushed to the scene.
“There were lots of rescue boats on the water because of Fleet Week, so we were fortunate,” he said. “We were able to get everybody out and accounted for quickly.”
Griffiths said it was jarring to see the boat upend during what had been an otherwise beautiful day on the water. “Seeing the bottom of it, that’s not a normal thing,” he said.
Authorities were investigating the cause of the accident.
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