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Investigators in California say a Calgary man is dead and his five-year-old daughter is missing after the couple was swept offshore by a high ocean wave at Garrapata State Beach.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office says 39-year-old Yuji Hu was with his wife and two children last Friday when a wave approximately 20 feet high swept his daughter into the Pacific Ocean.
The office says that when Hu and his wife reached for their daughter, they too were dragged into the water.
A beach visitor and an off-duty California park officer pulled Hu from the ocean and attempted to resuscitate him while his wife returned to the beach alone.
The couple was taken to hospital where Hu died and his wife was treated for mild hypothermia.
The sheriff’s office says the search for the couple’s five-year-old daughter is ongoing and their two-year-old son was unharmed in the tragedy.
“Information provided indicates that the girl was last seen wearing a white shirt,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release about the missing girl.
A large-scale search effort that included a command post set up from dawn to dusk Saturday, with members of the U.S. Coast Guard, California Fire Service, divers and a helicopter searching for the girl, has since been suspended.
“On Sunday, California State Parks will maintain personnel on the scene at Garrapata State Beach to continue foot searches along the shoreline and in accessible areas,” the office said.
“A spokesperson for the family has requested privacy during this difficult time.”
A California government website says Garrapata State Beach is a state park with two beach fronts and a 50-foot-high cliff overlooking the Monterey coast.
