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Eight people standing near a seawall in Ventura, California, Thursday were lashed by a giant wave crashing ashore, leading to their hospitalization.
Swells in the Los Angeles area have been strengthened by storms on the Pacific Ocean. High surf peaked Thursday, with waves in Ventura County reaching as high as 20 feet, the National Weather Service’s L.A. office wrote on X.
Officials put out a high-surf advisory during the high tide, and at around 10:50 a.m. the eight victims were injured, Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Brian McGrath told the Los Angeles Times.
VCFD posted a video of the incident, taken by the Ventura Police Department and the city of Ventura, on social media.
#HighSurf – Watch when a rogue wave hits the beach at the end of Seward Ave in the City of Ventura. This occurred during the high surf advisory at high tide. Because of this wave eight people were transported to local hospitals. Currently the beaches are closed in Ventura County… pic.twitter.com/VlRlgRLhpn
— VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) December 29, 2023
The wave knocked people off their feet and flooded streets, including Seward Avenue where the seawall is located.
Authorities did not specify the nature of the victims’ injuries, nor did they say whether the eight were released from the hospital.
VCFD rescued at least 15 other people, none of them injured, from the ocean Thursday, Capt. McGrath told the Times.
Due to the risk posed by the surf, city officials are keeping all beaches from the Ventura Pier to Marina Park closed until 10 p.m. Saturday, Ventura police posted on X.
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