A mother and two children got caught in powerful ocean swells off Southern California before witnesses jumped into the water to save two of the swimmers Tuesday night — with one child still missing, officials said.
Witnesses called 911 about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday reporting “multiple swimmers in distress” near Treasure Island Beach, Laguna Beach Marine Safety said in a statement Wednesday.
The “mother and her two children were swept into the ocean by powerful water conditions while near the shoreline” before “bystanders immediately entered the water and successfully rescued the mother and one child,” the agency added.
Early Wednesday afternoon, that swimmer was still missing.
“Tragically, an adolescent female remains missing,” the agency said. “Two bystanders who assisted in the rescue effort were evaluated at the scene and transported by the Laguna Beach Fire Department in stable condition.”
Rescuers were fanning out Wednesday beyond the original search point near Treasure Island Beach, officials said.
“Marine Safety is expanding the search area beyond the victim’s last known location,” Laguna Beach Marine Safety said.
“Members of the public may notice fewer personnel concentrated directly at Treasure Island Beach. This does not indicate a reduction in search efforts,” it said. “Rather, it reflects a standard search pattern strategy in which resources are redistributed across a broader geographic area based on prevailing ocean conditions, currents, wave action, and drift modeling.”
In addition to Laguna Beach Marine Safety, rescuers from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol and the Coast Guard were still looking for the missing swimmer Wednesday.
South-facing beaches, such as Laguna Beach, face swells up to 9 feet.
“Highest surf will be at south-facing beaches and peak through today,” the National Weather Service said Wednesday. “Swell and surf will slowly subside beginning Thursday with a shorter period, but will remain elevated into Friday.”
