Body of 7-year-old girl is found off Big Sur; her father died trying to save her from massive waves
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- A father from Calgary, Canada, died on Friday as he attempted to rescue his 7-year-old daughter from the surf.
- The child’s mother survived after also entering the water during the incident.
- Extreme weather with 15- to 20-foot waves and 70-mph winds were behind the tragedy.
The body of a 7-year-old girl who was swept into the ocean near Big Sur on Friday has been found, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday.
Her father, identified as 39-year-old Yuji Hu of Canada, died while trying to save his daughter from the surf.
Hu, of Calgary, a city in Alberta, was pulled from the water by another beachgoer and an off-duty California State Parks peace officer, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
A diver found the girl’s body around 1:20 p.m. Sunday about 100 yards off Garrapata Beach, roughly half a mile north of her last known location.
The Sheriff’s Office said Hu entered the water after his daughter was “swept off the shoreline by waves estimated to be 15-20 feet high.” The waves were the result of winds of up to 70 mph that were part of the same weather system that drenched the Los Angeles region this weekend, the National Weather Service said.
A 5-year old girl is missing and her father is dead after they were swept into the ocean by a wave at Garrapata State Park along the Big Sur coast, according to authorities.
The incident occurred at Garrapata Beach, along Highway 1 just north of Rocky Point Restaurant.
The child’s mother also entered the water in an attempt to assist. She was able to make it back to shore, and was also transported to a local hospital and treated for mild hypothermia. A 2-year-old child was not hurt.
Officials had initially reported the girl was 5 years old but clarified her age Sunday after speaking with family members.
A large-scale search effort for the girl had resumed Saturday morning and continued through sunset — a joint effort led by the county Sheriff’s Office with help from various state agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard. The operation was subsequently suspended.
Before the child’s body was found on Sunday, state parks officials kept personnel at the scene “to continue shoreline and accessible-area searches on foot,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff’s officials said the family had requested privacy and did not wish to issue a statement.
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