3 People Rescued After California Wharf Dramatically Collapses into the Sea: 'Evacuate Immediately'

Mar. 15, 2025

The Santa Cruz Wharf, pictured after its partial collapse.Photo:NAZAR MISHCHUCK/AFP via Getty

NAZAR MISHCHUCK/AFP via Getty

Three city workers were rescued from the ocean when theSanta Cruz Wharfpartially collapsed on Monday, Dec. 23.

Severe weather had already caused flooding, road closures and evacuations throughout the coastal area before a section of the municipal wharf fell into thePacific Oceanat around 12.45 p.m. local time.

“We believe that everyone that went into the water is now accounted for and safe,” he added.

The Santa Cruz Wharf in California, pictured.KATHERINE LEE/City of Santa Cruz/AFP via Getty

KATHERINE LEE/City of Santa Cruz/AFP via Getty

No one was seriously injured as lifeguards were able to help two people out of the water and a third swam to safety.

According to theAssociated Press, the trio were two engineers and a project manager who had been inspecting the end of the wharf.

No members of the public were present at the time as the structure is currently undergoing a $4 million renovation following intense storms last winter.

Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet of the end of the wharf fell into the water, according to the AP.

Public restrooms and the closed Dolphin restaurant are among the portions of the wharf that floated down the coast and lodged at the bottom of the San Lorenzo River.

“It’s a catastrophe for those down at the end of the wharf,” David Johnston, who was allowed onto the pier to check on his business, told the AP.

The Santa Cruz Wharf, pictured.KATHERINE LEE/City of Santa Cruz/AFP via Getty

TheNational Weather Servicein the Bay Area has advised people to stay away from the location due to the “life-threatening beach conditions.”

“You are risking your life and lives of others if you’re in or too close to the water,” the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office wrote onX, formerly known as Twitter.

According to ABC News, the wharf will remain closed amid an investigation into its structural integrity.

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The California governor, Gavin Newsom, is “coordinating with local officials and is ready to provide support” anX postfrom his office revealed.

On Monday at 4.15 p.m. local time, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order citing “large swells and high tide.”

They penned aFacebook postadvising residents who live within a 3-mile stretch just south of Santa Cruz to “evacuate immediately.”

source: people.com