Child dies, Coast Guard suspends search for grandpa swept to sea in Bay Area

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The Coast Guard suspended the search Sunday for a 54-year-old man who had been swept to sea the day south of Half Moon Bay the day before, and also reported that a 5-year-old girl previously rescued had died.

The two were a grandfather and a granddaughter, according to a spokesperson for the Coast Guard.

“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,” said Captain Jordan Baldueza, the deputy commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, in a statement.

Someone first reported the pair being swept into the water at Martin’s Beach at around 2 p.m., according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Ken Lord.

After Cal Fire’s arrival, a crew found the child in the ocean and took her to the hospital. The Coast Guard reported Sunday that she died there.

Lord said Coastside Fire Protection District, the San Mateo County Fire Department, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Half Moon Bay Harbor Master and the California State Park rangers assisted in their search.

The Coast Guard has suspended its search for the 54-year-old male who was swept off Martins Beach near Half Moon Bay Saturday afternoon. Search crews searched for approximately 22 hours and scoured 100 square miles.

— USCGNorCal (@USCGNorCal) November 26, 2023

Cal Fire turned the search over to the Coast Guard at around 4 p.m. Coast Guard crews searched for the man by helicopter and with a rescue boat.