Girl swept away and still missing off the Southern California coast

A mother and two children got caught in powerful ocean swells off the Southern California coast before witnesses jumped into the water to save two of the swimmers on Tuesday night — with one child still missing, officials said.

Witnesses called 911 at about 7:30 p.m. on Monday reporting “multiple swimmers in distress” near Treasure Island Beach, according to statement from Laguna Beach Marine Safety on Wednesday.

The “mother and her two children were swept into the ocean by powerful water conditions while near the shoreline” before “bystanders immediately entered the water and successfully rescued the mother and one child,” the agency added.

But as of early Wednesday afternoon, that one swimmer was still missing.

“Tragically, an adolescent female remains missing,” the agency said. “Two bystanders who assisted in the rescue effort were evaluated at the scene and transported by the Laguna Beach Fire Department in stable condition.”

Rescuers on Wednesday were fanning out beyond the original search point near Treasure Island Beach, officials said.

“Marine Safety is expanding the search area beyond the victim’s last known location,” according to Laguna Beach Marine Safety.

“Members of the public may notice fewer personnel concentrated directly at Treasure Island Beach. This does not indicate a reduction in search efforts. Rather, it reflects a standard search pattern strategy in which resources are redistributed across a broader geographic area based on prevailing ocean conditions, currents, wave action, and drift modeling.”

In addition to Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department, rescuers from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol and the United States Coast Guard were still looking for the missing swimmer on Wednesday.

South facing beaches, such as Laguna Beach, are now facing swells up to 9 feet tall

“Highest surf will be at south-facing beaches and peak through today,” according to a National Weather Service statement on Wednesday. “Swell and surf will slowly subside beginning Thursday with a shorter period, but will remain elevated into Friday.”

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