Big Sur wave drags man into ocean at same park where father, daughter died days earlier
A search stretched into its second day on Sunday for a man who was swept into the Pacific Ocean by a wave at the same California state park where a father and his 7-year-old daughter died under similar circumstances a week ago, authorities said.
The large-scale, multi-agency search was going on Sunday in the waters off Garrapata State Park in Monterey County, officials said.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said on Sunday that the search-and-rescue mission for the missing man is now a search-and-recovery operation.
The incident occurred on Soberanes Point in the Garrapata State Park, the sheriff's office said.
The emergency unfolded around 3 p.m. local time on Saturday when a large wave hit the man, who is now missing, and two women as they stood on Soberanes Point, the sheriff's office said in a statement on Saturday night.
"The two women were able to self-rescue and were transported to a local hospital with unknown injuries," the sheriff's office said.
A search was launched on Saturday for the missing man that included a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew.
"At around 4:24 p.m., a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted what appeared to be a body in the ocean, but due to the high surf, lost visual. They were unable to relocate the body," the statement from the sheriff's office said.
The search was suspended on Saturday evening due to darkness, but resumed on Sunday morning.
The missing man, whose name was not released, is about 30 years old and was last seen wearing a white turban, a black shirt, black shorts and a black colored vest-style jacket, according to the sheriff's office.
Garrapata State Park is where a 39-year-old man and his 7-year-old daughter were dragged into the ocean by a 15-to-20-foot wave and died on Nov. 15, the sheriff's office said.
This father and daughter, identified by the sheriff's office as Yuji Hu and his daughter Anzi Hu, were both of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
"We remind everyone that there is a current beach hazards warning in our area. The public is asked to stay off rocks and back from the water's edge," the sheriff's office said in its statement. "Ocean waves are unpredictable and pose a safety hazard to the public."
ABC News' Amanda Morris contributed to this report.
