MALIBU—Three people were fatally injured after a wave washed them into the Pacific Ocean near Point Mugu on Thursday, June 25, just North of Malibu, according to Captain McGrath of the Ventura County Fire Department.
The incident occurred around 5 p.m. when a family was fishing off the rocks at Point Magu. Both the size of waves and the tide were reportedly normal according to McGrath who said, “The waves were not abnormally large for the timeframe … and the tides were as normal.”
After a wave knocked three of the family members off the rocks where they were fishing, officials from both the VCFD and the Ventura County Sheriff Department quickly arrived to the scene and began a rapid search.
At 5:35 p.m. the VCFD tweeted the three people were rescued from the water and are being treated while in critical condition. At 5:54 p.m. the VCFD reported all three people were fatally injured in the incident and that the search operations were completed.
The names of the victims have not been released, but it is known that two of the victims are female and one is male. The victims have only been identified as only as a husband and wife in their 50s and a grandparent in their 70s.
The beach of Point Mugu is covered in rocks beginning at the shoreline.
Captain Eric Buschow of the VCSD told the Los Angeles Times, “Things can look very calm one moment, but every once in a while you can have a large wave that can crash down upon you.”
The deaths are believed to be accidental, but the VCSD is investigating.
Written By Jansen Baier and Noelle Gray
