Boat capsizes in San Francisco, injuring eight passengers

A boat with 30 people aboard capsized on Saturday at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, trapping several passengers under the vessel's hull before rescue swimmers managed to pull everyone from the water, though two children were critically injured, fire officials said.

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 US 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.