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9 months ago
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A five-year-old girl has died and the search for her 54-year-old grandfather who was swept out to sea alongside her has been called off after 22-hours.
San Mateo County firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to reports that the pair had been hit by a sneaker wave at around 2pm on Saturday on Martin's Beach in California's Half Moon Bay.
Jordan Baldueza, deputy commander, Coast Guard Sector San Francisco said: 'The decision to suspend search efforts is one of the hardest decisions to make, but our crews searched for nearly 24 hours without any sightings of the missing person.
'Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends affected by this very tragic event.'
US Coast Guard pictured. Crews called off the search for missing 54 year old man after they had scoured a 100 square miles with no sign
The pair were reported in danger around 2 p.m. Saturday when San Mateo County firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard were called to Martin's Beach
Although the girl was rescued and taken to the local hospital for treatment, she was pronounced dead on Sunday.
Coast Guard crews scoured over 100 square miles with helicopters and boats in search of her grandfather for around 22 hours before finally calling it off.
The California coast, from Point Reyes to Big Sur, has been under a beach hazards advisory all weekend.
US Coast Guard helicopter. Helicopters and search boats were called in to help with the search but were called off after 22 hours with no sightings
The National Weather Service warned beachgoers to 'remain out of the water' as 'large, unexpected waves can sweep across the beach without warning, sweeping people into the sea from rocks, jetties, and beaches.'
The weather service forecast the worst sneaker waves would be along west to northwest-facing beaches.
English (US)