LONG BEACH — Authorities say a 9-year-old girl is missing in the Pacific Ocean surf off a Southwest Washington beach while her 11-year-old brother was rescued after treading water for about a half-hour.
The Daily Astorian reported that a shore-based search for the girl ended late Thursday afternoon at Long Beach. A Coast Guard helicopter planned to keep searching until nightfall.
The children reportedly had been playing in the water when they got caught in a current.
Surf rescue team leader Doug Knutzen says the boy told rescuers he didn’t know where his sister was. Knutzen said only the very top of the boy’s face was out of the water when rescuers reached him. The child was taken to a nearby hospital and reported in stable condition.
The Astorian reported the boy’s mother traveled with him to the hospital while the children’s grandmother stayed at the beach. Rescuers said the family was visiting from the Seattle area.
