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U.S.|Part of Santa Cruz Wharf in California Collapses in High Surf
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/23/us/santa-cruz-wharf-collapse.html
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Three people were rescued after part of the wharf, a major tourist attraction, collapsed in powerful surf, the authorities said.
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Dec. 23, 2024Updated 9:39 p.m. ET
The end of a wharf that draws visitors to Santa Cruz, Calif., collapsed in high surf on Monday, sending two engineers and a project manager who had been inspecting the structure into the water, the authorities said.
All three were rescued and taken to a hospital, city officials said at a news conference. No one was seriously injured or believed to be missing, Mayor Fred Keeley of Santa Cruz said.
The wharf was built in 1914 and, at 2,745 feet, bills itself on Instagram as the longest fully wooden wharf in the Western Hemisphere. It has recently hosted holiday-themed events, like photo sessions with Santa Claus.
The end of the wharf was closed to the public when the last 150 feet of the structure collapsed into the Pacific Ocean at around 12:45 p.m., city officials said. The city had already determined that the end of the wharf needed to be taken down and repaired after it was damaged in storms over the past several years, officials said.
Heavy wooden pilings, part of the wharf deck, a restroom and part of a former restaurant were lost in the water, city officials said, as were two pieces of construction equipment, a crane and a skid steer loader.
Mr. Keeley urged people not to get near the ocean, warning that pilings that were being pounded by the waves posed a threat to boaters and swimmers.
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