The search for a teenage girl swept into the ocean by a large wave off Southern California’s coast has ended, hours after officials said it was to be expanded.
The incident occurred Tuesday evening at Treasure Island Beach in Laguna Beach, where the girl, her mother, and brother were walking along the sand. All three were pulled into the water, Laguna Beach Marine Safety Chief Kai Bond said Wednesday.
“This is one of the most heartbreaking incidents I have witnessed during my time serving this community. Our hearts go out to the young victim’s family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss,” Laguna Beach Mayor Mark Orgill said in a statement.
Two people managed to rescue the mother and son, who are now in stable condition. One man who aided the family subsequently required rescue himself from powerful 10-foot (3-meter) waves by a city lifeguard.
“We’re expanding our search to include adjacent beaches, and we’re using divers, rescue vessels and air resources to search the area. But at this point we haven’t found her,” Bond said.
Laguna Beach Marine Safety is getting help from the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard, Bond said.
Many of Southern California’s beaches are expected to see 5-to 8-foot (1.5-2.5 meter) waves through at least Thursday night, the National Weather Service said in Wednesday surf reports, and still higher in some places. The beach city of Malibu could see waves of up to 10 feet (3 meters), the service said.
In Orange County, where the city of Laguna Beach is located, the surf height is normally below 6 feet (about 2 meters), said Philip Gonsalves, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He said the surf in Orange County had already peaked at 10 feet and was expected to start trending lower within the next 24 hours.
The surf has been particularly high along beaches facing south or southwest as large swells from the Southern Hemisphere’s winter storms reach the area, he said.
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