Family swept into Pacific, father killed, 5YO girl missing

Multiple agencies launched a robust rescue effort in Monterey County after a young family was swept into the Pacific Ocean on Friday, leaving a father dead and a 5-year-old girl missing.
The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office responded to Garrapata Beach in Garrapata State Park along Highway 1, where a little before 1 p.m. on Friday, an off-duty State Parks peace officer/lifeguard had found a man was attempting to rescue his 5-year-old daughter, who had been pulled into the ocean by waves that reached approximately 15 to 20 feet high.
The officer pulled the father from the water and gave him CPR, and the father was later taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement on social media Friday by the Sheriff’s Office.
The 5-year-old, who was wearing a red shirt, is still missing.
The girl’s mother was also swept into the water after trying to reach out to and rescue her daughter and husband, who was still holding on to the daughter’s hand, the statement said. The mother got back to shore without assistance and was also taken to the local hospital, where she was listed in stable condition with mild hypothermia. The family’s 2-year-old child was not hurt.
A multiagency rescue effort to find the missing 5-year-old girl began, involving California State Parks, Cal Fire, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Monterey County Search and Rescue, according to the statement, and helicopters from the Coast Guard, CHP and U.S. Naval Air Station Lemoore also assisted with the rescue. The rescue was ongoing as of Saturday morning, according to KRON-TV.
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