A family outing at Garrapata State Park in Big Sur turned tragic on Friday when a father died and his 5-year-old daughter went missing after they were swept into the ocean by powerful waves, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office. The incident happened just before 1pm along Highway 1, reports NBC Bay Area. Authorities say the mother tried to help after her husband and daughter were pulled in by the waves and was sucked into the water herself, though she managed to make it back to shore.
An off-duty state parks lifeguard got the father out of the water and performed CPR, but to no avail. Both parents were taken to a nearby hospital, where the father was pronounced dead. The mother, meanwhile, was treated for mild hypothermia and is said to be in stable condition. The couple's 5-year-old hasn't been found.
There's some conflicting info about another child at the scene, with the sheriff's office noting that a 2-year-old, perhaps another of the couple's children, was found "unharmed." Per the San Luis Obispo Tribune, however, a rep from the sheriff's office said a 2-year-old girl had also been transported to the hospital and was in stable condition, though it "was not immediately clear if the 2-year-old was rescued from the water."
story continues below
Multiple agencies, including the US Coast Guard, California State Parks, and Monterey County Search and Rescue, are involved in the effort to locate the missing girl, who was last seen wearing a red shirt. The National Weather Service had issued a "Beach Hazards Statement" on Friday warning of increased risks from sneaker waves, with forecasts calling for breaking waves as high as 20 feet.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
