Part of a pier collapses in California - three people fall into the water
Kyiv • UNN
In Santa Cruz, a part of the pier collapsed due to strong ocean waves with waves of up to 7.9 meters. Three city workers fell into the water but survived with minor injuries.
Three people fell into the water but survived with only "minor injuries" when part of the Santa Cruz Pier in Santa Cruz in the US state of California collapsed on Monday and floated away, according to local authorities and the National Weather Service (NWS), UNN reports citing The Guardian.
Details
The collapse occurred due to severe ocean swell, which is expected to bring waves up to 7.9 meters high to the central coast along with hurricane-force winds.
Rescuers rescued two people from the water, and the third person was able to swim to safety, the Santa Cruz Fire Department reported on Instagram. At a press conference, local authorities said that all three people who fell into the water worked for the city: one was a program manager for the Parks and Recreation Department, and the other two were contractors for the same department.
The three workers were either unharmed or suffered only "minor injuries," said Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley. The end of the pier had previously been damaged by winter storms and was undergoing repairs, and was closed to the public during the repairs.
Some of the pier pilings are still in the ocean and remain a serious, serious danger, the mayor said. Each pile weighs a lot and is exposed to powerful waves.
California Governor Gavin Newsom joined the National Weather Service in urging people in the area to treat the ocean with caution in the coming days.
The part of the pier that broke off, including public toilets and the closed Dolphin restaurant, swam about 0.8 km along the coast and got stuck on the bottom of the San Lorenzo River.
Addendum
Monday's collapse comes about a year after the Seacliff State Beach pier just down the coast was destroyed by a severe winter storm and was beyond repair. More than 1,000 homes in the Santa Cruz area were also damaged in last year's storm, and south of Santa Cruz, in San Luis Obispo, a five-year-old child was swept away in a flood. Across California, more than 20 people have died as a result of a series of winter storms that have hit the region.
