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A tragic incident unfolded in Northern California when a father lost his life trying to rescue his daughter from the ruthless grip of the ocean. The child remains missing after being swept away by towering waves.
The heartbreaking event took place at Garrapata State Beach on Friday. Yuji Hu, aged 39, heroically attempted to save his five-year-old daughter when she was dragged into the sea by waves that reached up to 20 feet in height.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. along the scenic Highway 1, just north of Rocky Point Restaurant in Monterey, California, as confirmed by local authorities. The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office reported that Hu was pulled into the ocean while desperately trying to reach his daughter, whose name has not been released.
Amid the chaos, Hu’s wife also entered the treacherous waters in an attempt to save her family. The powerful current, however, overpowered her as well, adding to the family’s heart-wrenching ordeal.
As father and daughter were sucked in deeper by the current, Hu’s wife tried to rescue her loved ones but was also swept into the water.
Police said she made it back to shore and that another child, two, was ‘unharmed.’
Hu was rescued from the water by an off-duty California State Parks officer, as well as someone described by law enforcement as a ‘beach visitor.’
A 39-year-old father died and his five-year-old daughter remains missing after they were pulled out to sea by massive waves in Monterey, California, police said
A ‘large-scale’ search, including a US Coast Guard helicopter, had started for the girl following Friday’s tragedy
California State Parks officers were set to stay at Garrapata State Beach to continue looking for the missing girl on foot through Sunday
He and his wife were rushed to a local hospital, where Hu was declared dead.
His wife was in stable condition but with mild hypothermia after the terrifying experience, police said.
His five-year-old child remained missing. Authorities said she was last seen wearing a white shirt.
A ‘large-scale’ search had ensued for the girl, featuring several government agencies and the use of a US Coast Guard helicopter.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office was aided by California State Parks, CAL FIRE and the county’s Search and Rescue team.
The search continued through sunset Saturday, although it was temporarily suspended overnight due to inclement weather and lighting.
Officials said California State Parks would remain at Garrapata State Beach to continue looking for the missing girl on foot.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office was helped by California State Parks, CAL FIRE and Monterey County Search and Rescue in searching for the missing five-year-old
According to the California State Parks website, Garrapata State Park has two miles of beaches
Police said Hu was of Calgary, Alberta, Canada- but it was not immediately clear what he was doing in northern California with his family
Police said Hu lived in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
It was not immediately known why he was in northern California.
Garrapata State Park has two miles of beaches, per the California State Parks website.
His family did ‘not wish to issue any public statement,’ according to police.
The southern part of California is currently being battered by an ‘unusually strong storm system,’ which threatened to bring potentially dangerous flooding to the Los Angeles area.
The rainfall threatened to cause flash flooding, debris flows and mudslides in regions like Malibu or the Pacific Palisades.
Locals were urged to ‘pay close attention to the latest warnings’ and evacuate if needed, as inclement weather swept the west coast state.