Key facts
- A five-year-old girl was swept into the Pacific Ocean near Laguna Beach, California.
- Bystanders rescued the girl's mother and sibling.
- A search lasting over 30 hours covered approximately 90 square miles.
- The girl's body was recovered Thursday morning.
- Dangerous surf conditions and strong rip currents were present at the time.
The body of a five-year-old girl who was swept into the Pacific Ocean along Southern California’s coast has been recovered, ending a nearly two-day search effort. The child was pulled into the water near Laguna Beach on Tuesday night amid dangerous surf conditions. Bystanders managed to pull the girl’s mother and sibling to safety, but the 5-year-old was swept beneath the surf and did not resurface. Her body was recovered Thursday morning, less than a day after the U.S. Coast Guard called off an extensive search effort that lasted more than 30 hours and covered upwards of 90 square miles of ocean. City officials stated the child was spotted during an aerial search approximately a quarter mile from the location where she had been carried away by the waves. The incident occurred amid dangerous beach conditions caused by a powerful south swell along the Southern California coast, with authorities having warned that strong rip currents and towering waves could drag swimmers into deeper waters.