One Man Killed After Being Trapped Under High Surf Debris In Santa Cruz, Two Missing Near Monterey
Dec 24, 2024
A man is dead in Santa Cruz after being trapped under the debris of the pier-smashing waves, and two people are missing near Monterey after being swept into the ocean, as the raging high surf conditions take a deadly toll.The latest news as high surf conditions continue to wallop the NorCal coast is that evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday morning in the Santa Cruz County areas of Rio Del Mar, Beach Drive and Las Olas. But coastal conditions remain incredibly dangerous after Monday’s stunning collapse of part of the Santa Cruz Wharf, and officials are still scrambling to contain the wreckage. NBC Bay Area reports that one man was killed in Santa Cruz County after being trapped under debris, while KPIX adds that two people remain missing near Monterey after being swept into the ocean on Monday. And ominously, both of those searches are currently halted because surf conditions are so dangerous.Per NBC Bay Area, police received a report around 11:30 am Monday of a man trapped under debris at Sunset State Beach in Watsonville. The debris may have been flotsam from the wharf, or could have been other wreckage that’s occurring all across that coastline. The man was rescued, but pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital, and his name has not been released.While rescuers were responding to that incident, another man was pulled into the Pacific Ocean by a huge wave at Marina State Beach, some eight miles north of Monterey, at around noon Monday. US Coast Guard and the California Highway Patrol air unit rescuers were forced to abandon their mission at around 2 pm Monday because the current and waves just kept getting increasingly stronger. The unidentified man remained missing as of Monday night.KPIX adds that in Pebble Beach, south of Monterey, one person was swept off the rocks and out into the ocean along Ocean Road. Cal Fire and the Coast Guard were also forced to suspend that search because conditions became too dangerous.Those high surf warnings remain in effect through noon Tuesday, not just in Santa Cruz, the Monterey Bay, and Big Sur Coast, but also right here in San Francisco, San Mateo County, and the North Bay coast. Some coastal areas are expected to see breaking waves as high as 30 to 35 feet.Related: Three Rescued as Piece of Santa Cruz Wharf Falls Into Ocean [SFist]Image: @StrictlyChristo via Twitter