A heartbreaking incident unfolded on the coast of northern California, where a father tragically lost his life while attempting to save his daughter from being swept away by the ocean. The young girl remains missing.
Yuji Hu, 39, died on Friday in a heroic effort to rescue his five-year-old daughter, who was pulled into the sea by powerful waves reaching up to 20 feet at Garrapata State Beach.
The unfortunate event took place around 1 p.m. local time along Highway 1, just north of the Rocky Point Restaurant in Monterey, California, according to police reports.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Hu was drawn into the ocean as he desperately tried to grab hold of his daughter, whose name has not been disclosed.
As the father and daughter were carried further into the ocean by the strong current, Hu’s wife bravely attempted a rescue but was also caught by the waves.
Authorities confirmed that she managed to return safely to the shore, while another child, aged two, was found 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.
