Body of young girl swept into Pacific is found off California
The body of a young girl swept into the Pacific amid high waves was found Sunday off the central coast of California, not far from where her father, also deceased, tried to save her.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said a diver discovered her body shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday, 100 yards offshore, about a half-mile north of her last known location in the water.
The office confirmed that it was the girl’s body and said, after speaking with family members, that she was 7 years old, not 5, as it had initially indicated. His name has not been released.
On Friday, shortly before 1 p.m., a wave swept the girl from shore into the water near Garrapata State Beach, about 12 miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, the sheriff’s office said. Waves at the time were estimated to be between 15 and 20 feet.
Her father, identified as Yuji Hu, 39, of Calgary, jumped into the water after her, but both were swept further out to sea, authorities said.
An off-duty California State Parks lifeguard pulled Hu from the water and administered CPR before Hu was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.
The girl’s mother, who has not been identified, also went to the water to help, authorities said. She returned to land with the help of the rescuer, state and local agencies said.
She was released from the hospital after being treated for mild hypothermia, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
A 2-year-old child who was with the family was not injured, according to the release.
“The family expressed gratitude to all agencies, staff and community members involved in the search and recovery efforts,” the office said.
In another storm-related incident, a 71-year-old man died in Sutter County when his car was swept away by overflowing stormwater along Pleasant Grove Creek Friday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The agency said in a statement that signs warning that the road was flooded had been posted at the scene before the incident.
Rough seas and large waves along the central coast of Monterey County were associated with the weekend winter storm that plunged into the California coast.
The National Weather Service warned beachgoers along the Central Coast that double and triple waves were looming and that “sneaker waves” known for hitting dry sand without warning were possible Friday.
The storm, which moved east Sunday, flooded some Southern California streets, triggered slippery vehicle crashes and produced more than 12 inches of rain at San Marcos Pass in Santa Barbara County, according to the National Weather Service.
Santa Barbara County received nearly half of its average annual rainfall of 17 inches with the weekend storm, according to National Weather Service data.
