Cliff Collapse At Southern California Beach, Leaves Three Dead and Two Injured

A cliff collapsed on Friday at a popular beach with surfers north of San Diego, in Encinitas, California.

As of Saturday morning, authorities are reporting three people have died from the natural disaster. One woman was declared dead at the scene, and four more were taken to a local area hospital.

According to NBC News, a 30-foot long slab of the cliff toppled down onto the sand near Grandview Beach. The beach is filled with warning signs posted nearby about unstable bluffs, which sometimes come down due to natural erosion.

The collapse occurred around 3 pm on Friday when the beach was filled with people.

First responders were called to the scene, which happened near a lifeguard tower. Both responders and beachgoers scrambled to find victims who may have been buried under the rubble and debris.

NBC News reports that K-9 units were also called in to help search for potential victims and the beach was closed off as officials feared another secondary collapse.

The city of Encinitas posted an update on their Facebook page. “It has now been confirmed that two of the three victims that were transported to local area hospitals earlier today have succumbed to their injuries. This brings the total fatalities from this incident to three.”

The city recommends beachgoers to stay away and avoid areas under bluffs.