A 7-year-old girl was dead and a 4-year-old boy was missing after they were swept to sea along with a man who was holding them on the coast in Oregon Saturday, authorities said.
The relationships between the three weren't immediately known.
The man and girl were rescued with the help of a police officer, but the boy was not found, Oregon State Police said in a statement. The man and girl were taken to the same hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
The man's condition was unknown. His name was expected to be released Sunday, police said.
The man was holding the children when they were all swept up by a wave in the Falcon Cove area, about 80 miles west-northwest of Portland, about 12:38 p.m., police said.
The coast was under a National Weather Service high surf warning, the highest alert for waves, and was also experiencing unusually high tides known as king tides. The service forecast waves as high as 25 feet, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an 8.52-foot high tide at 12:31 p.m. Saturday.
NBC affiliate KGW of Portland reported that onlookers were flocking to Oregon beaches Saturday to see the waves and tides, but it wasn't immediately clear if the trio were drawn there by the forecast.
Just before 7 p.m. the Seattle office of the U.S. Coast Guard tweeted that the search for the boy was suspended for the night.
"The public is urged to stay away from jetty’s and rocks during these dangerous surf conditions," the Coast Guard tweeted.
