Three people were killed after being swept off rocks and into the sea Thursday afternoon in Southern California, authorities said.
The trio, who are believed to be members of the same family but who have not been publicly identified, were rescued from the water just before 5 pm. at an area In Ventura County known as Deer Creek Beach, said Capt. Brian McGrath of the Ventura County Fire Department.
“When we got on scene, we were able to do a rapid search of the water, and we were able to rescue all three out of the water,” he said. “However, they were fatally injured.”
It’s not clear exactly what happened, but the department tweeted earlier Thursday that the victims “were washed off the rocks into the ocean.”
Surf in the region was estimated by Surfline at 2 to 3 feet with high tide at 2:28 p.m.
The beach, about a mile north of the Los Angeles County line, is fairly unspoiled and becomes relatively narrow at high tide.
Todd Miyazawa and Austin Mullen contributed.