NEED TO KNOW
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The search continues for a 5-year-old girl who went missing at Garrapata State Beach in California after she was “pulled out” into the ocean “by waves estimated to be 15-20 feet high” on Friday, Nov. 14
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Authorities said her father attempted to rescue her, but was swept out as well
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The father was rescued by an officer and administered CPR before being transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead
California search and rescue agencies are continuing their search for a 5-year-old girl who was swept out to sea.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) shared in a social media post on Saturday, Nov. 15, that the search for the missing girl continued after she was “swept into the ocean by a large wave” just before 1 p.m. local time on Friday, Nov. 14.
The MCSO said deputies responded to a “water rescue incident” at Garrapata State Beach after a lifeguard went to the site and found the “family in distress near the water line.”
According to authorities, the 5-year-old was “pulled out” into the ocean “by waves estimated to be 15-20 feet high,” and her father went into the water in an attempt to rescue her and managed to grab her hand. Both were swept out into the ocean — as well as the mother, who “attempted to reach out to both.”
Monterey County Sheriff’s Office
Search and rescue teams search the coast at Garrapata State Beach for the missing 5-year-old girl
“She [the mother] was able to get back to shore on her own,” the MCSO said, adding that “a 2-year-old child was unharmed” in the incident.
An officer on the scene “was able to pull the father from the water and immediately began rendering CPR.” The 5-year-old child, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Both the father and mother were transported to a nearby hospital, where the former was later pronounced deceased. The mother was in “stable condition” after the incident with “mild hypothermia,” according to the MCSO.
“The 5-year-old child remains missing. Information provided confirms that the child was last seen wearing a white shirt,” the MCSO said in their post.
Authorities stated that several agencies kicked off a search for the child, but the search was “suspended” at 9 p.m. on Friday due to “weather and lighting conditions.” The search continued on Saturday, with a “helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard” also deployed.
Monterey County Sheriff’s Office
A search and rescue helicopter searchs the ocean for the missing 5-year-old girl
Photos of the search shared by the MCSO showed a search and rescue team in yellow jackets being briefed on the situation, a crew in orange jackets searching along the coast, and an orange helicopter in the skies.
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The MCSO said they asked drivers along Highway 1 to avoid stopping at Garrapata State Beach to “allow emergency services sufficient space to conduct their search operations.”
The National Weather Service issued a “beach hazards warning,” which means beachgoers should watch out for unexpected large waves, through Nov. 14, according to SFGate.
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