Woman Missing After Being Swept Into Coastal Peninsula Waters

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — A woman is missing after being swept by a wave into the ocean off the San Mateo County coast Sunday afternoon, a San Mateo County Fire Department spokesperson said.

Witnesses saw a man and a woman wearing waders and searching for mussels get swept from the rocks at Pescadero State Beach into the ocean around 3:15 p.m.

A witness was able to get down to the water and pull the man out of the waves but reported the woman was too far to reach, San Mateo County Fire Department Public Information Officer Cecile Juliette said.

When firefighters arrived, the woman was about 20 yards out, and then she went under.

“One person has been rescued and transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital, one person is still unaccounted for in the water,” Cal Fire said in a statement on Twitter.

The man was rushed to a nearby hospital in a ground ambulance, Juliette said. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters were searching for the missing woman.

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Department, California State Parks, Coastside Fire Protection District, La Honda Fire Department and American Medical Response San Mateo County were also on the scene.

The area is currently under a High Surf Advisory with extreme ocean condition.

- Bay City News and Patch staffer Gideon Rubin contributed to this report