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5-year-old dies after she and a man are swept out to sea at Half Moon Bay. ‘Sneaker waves’ cited

A boat in high waves.
The Coast Guard searches Sunday for a 54-year-old man after he and a child were swept into the ocean.
(U.S. Coast Guard)
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A 5-year-old girl died Saturday after being swept out to sea at Half Moon Bay, and the search for a man who was with the child has been suspended, according to Levi Read, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson.

The girl was recovered at Martin’s Beach by San Mateo County Fire Department personnel and taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Read said.

The search for the 54-year-old man, which lasted for about 22 hours and covered 100 square miles, was suspended shortly after noon Sunday, Read said.

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The spokesman did not disclose the identities of the victims.

The National Weather Service warned this weekend that a broad stretch of the California coast from Point Reyes to Big Sur was at risk of “sneaker waves,” which can sweep across beaches without warning, pulling people into the sea and moving logs and other heavy objects that can crush people. It urged everyone to stay out of the ocean and warned that people could be yanked into the water from jetties, rocks and beaches.

The U.S. Coast Guard launched its search on Saturday after receiving a report about the incident at 1:20 p.m. A 47-foot motor lifeboat, a helicopter and an 87-foot patrol boat were dispatched to the area, according to the agency.

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