Three people died Friday when their car tumbled down a cliff and into the ocean near the Devil’s Slide on California’s famed Highway 1.
Cops got a call about a single-vehicle crash just before noon that day, forcing police, fire crews and other first responders to mobilize for a cliff rescue, according to SFGate.
The car — a gray two-door sedan — careened off the southbound side of the road and dropped about 300 feet down an embankment between Pacifica and Montara, according to a California Highway Patrol spokesperson and news reports.
Three people died after a car fell off a cliff on Highway 1 in California. KTVU
The crash happened near the Devil’s Slide trail. KTVUAuthorities shut down the road for several hours as rescuers rappelled to the vehicle, which lay on its roof as seawater lapped around the wreckage.
“It was a recovery mission, and it was steep cliffs and tough terrain,” a member of Cal Fire told Fox 2 KTVU. “The car was partially submerged, so our rescuers were taking on waves.”
The impact was so violent that it catapulted pieces of the vehicle away from the wreck.
When they reached the site, rescuers quickly pronounced two of the vehicle’s occupants dead.
Police at the scene of the deadly single-vehicle accident. KTVU
The car at the bottom of the cliff. KTVU
Pieces of the car near the location of the crash. KTVUBut an incoming high tide curtailed their efforts, which included hauling heavy machinery down the cliff so first responders could cut the car apart and recover the bodies, the station said.
A third person — also dead — was found inside the car on Saturday, the outlet said.
Cops haven’t released the victims’ identities, and the investigation is still ongoing, the highway patrol said.
