Authorities in California are searching for the body of a man who was swept into the ocean at a beach in the Big Sur area, one week after a girl and her father died after being pulled into the water in the same state park.
Three people were pulled into the water from the rocks at the Soberanes Point area of Garrapata state park on Saturday afternoon just after 3pm and began yelling for help, according to a statement from the Monterey county sheriff’s office. Two women who had been dragged into the ocean were able to pull themselves out of the water.
A man, who was described as being approximately 30, and wearing a white turban with black clothes, remained missing. Authorities launched a large operation with multiple agencies that included, among others, a county search and rescue team, California state parks and the US Coast Guard.
“At approximately 4.24pm on Saturday, a US Coast Guard helicopter located what appeared to be a body in the water; however, due to dangerous surf conditions, visual contact was lost and the individual could not be relocated,” the Monterey county sheriff’s office said.
“High winds and unsafe water conditions have hindered search efforts, limiting the ability of divers to conduct underwater operations.”
The darkness and hazardous conditions prompted the team to suspend its search Saturday and Sunday evening, but authorities planned to resume operations on Monday morning.
The previous week a seven-year-old girl was found dead after waves estimated up to 20ft swept her into the ocean at Garrapata Beach, in the same state park just a few miles away. The girl’s father, 39-year-old Yuji Hu, of Calgary, Alberta, died while trying to save her.
Garrapata state park is popular for its miles of beaches, hiking trails that go from the water to redwood groves, and views of the Monterey Bay national marine sanctuary. Authorities have said conditions remain “extremely dangerous” and that the public should avoid the Soberanes Point area of the park, stay off coastal rocks and not enter the water “under any circumstances”.
