EFFORTS
EFFORTS AND WHAT LIFEGUARDS WANT YOU TO KNOW.
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BARBARA-LEE: BREAKING NEWS FROM LEUCADIA, WHERE THE DEATH TOLL
FROM THE BLUFF COLLAPSE HAS
RISEN TO THREE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
I'M BARBARA-LEE EDWARDS.
CARLO: I'M CARLO CECCHETTO.
THE COLLAPSE HAPPENED OFF OF
NEPTUNE AVENUE.
NEPTUNE AVENUE. ONE PERSON DIED AT THE SCENE AND
TONIGHT TWO VICTIMS RUSHED TO
THE HOSPITAL HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED
DEAD.
DEAD.
DEAD. BARBARA-LEE: RICHARD ALLYN WILL
HAVE MORE FROM LIFEGUARDS, BUT
WE BEGIN WITH ABBIE ALFORD AND
INFORMATION ON THE TRAGEDY.
ABBIE: LIFEGUARDS STILL HAVE
CAUTION TAPE UP.
IT IS HIGH TIDE AT THE MOMENT,
SUPPOSED TO REACH 7.1 FEET AT
10:52, BUT THEY ARE STILL ON
STANDBY AS TWO OF TH
10:52, BUT THEY ARE STILL ON STANDBY AS TWO OF THE THREE
PEOPLE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL,
BRINGING THE TEST TOLL TO THREE.
-- BRINGING THE DEATH TOLL TO
THREE.
THREE.
THREE. JUST BEFORE 3:00 FRIDAY, A
COLLAPSE SEEN FOR WITNESSES AT
GRANDVIEW BEACH AND ENCINITAS
WHEN A BLUFF COLLAPSED AND FELL
ON FIVE PEOPLE.
OFFICER SAY AN ADULT WOMAN DIED
AND TWO VICTIMS LATER DIED AT
THE HOSPITAL.
THE HOSPITAL. >> RAN DOWN THE STAIRS TO THE
BLUFF, POKED MY HEAD DOWN THERE
AND SAW LIFEGUARDS FRANTICALLY
DIGGING BODIES OUT.
ABBIE: TO OTHER PEOPLE WERE
INJURED.
INJURED.
INJURED. ONE DECLINED TREATMENT.
A SURFER ON VACATION SAID HE
WITNESSED THE AFTERMATH.
>> I THINK THEY ARE STILL
WORKING ON EVERYTHING DOWN
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. IT
THERE. IT IS A GRIM SCENE.
ABBIE: AN EMOTIONAL COUPLE
ARRIVED, SAYING THEY WERE FAMILY
OF THE VICTIMS.
>> QUITE A LARGE GROUP OF THEM.
A LOT OF KIDS INVOLVED, SOME MAY
BE AS YOUNG AS 5 FIVE, UP TO
PRETEENS, SEVERAL ADULTS,
CLEARLY DISTRAUGHT.
CLEARLY DISTRAUGHT. ABBIE: A LIFEGUARD HEARD THE
COLLAPSE.
COLLAPSE.
COLLAPSE. >> HE CALLED FOR ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES OVER THE RADIO.
MULTIPLE UNITS CAME IN AND HE
WAS TRYING TO ASSESS HOW MANY
PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED.
>> THEY ARE AIRLIFTING THEM AND
BRINGING DIGGING TOOLS.
ABBIE: THE BLUFF COLLAPSED ABOUT
20 FEET BY 30 FEET AND 10 FEET
HIGH.
HIGH.
HIGH. IT
HIGH. IT GOES ABOUT 100 MILES SOUTH OF
GRANDVIEW STAIRS.
GRANDVIEW STAIRS. IT WILL BE CLOSED.
>> PEOPLE WERE SHOCKED.
NOT MANY PEOPLE WERE SAYING
ANYTHING OTHER THAN WISHING AND
PRAYING FOR A GOOD OUTCOME.
ABBIE: THE HIGH TIDE IS A HUGE
THREAT TO THE LIFEGUARDS
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. IT IS SUPPOSED TO REACH 7.1
FEET, MAKING THE BLUFFS
VULNERABLE AND THERE COULD BE A
SECONDARY COLLAPSE.
SECONDARY COLLAPSE. RICHARD ALLYN IS LIVE WITH THEM
TO TALK ABOUT THE DANGEROUS
BLUFFS.
BLUFFS.
BLUFFS. RICHARD: ABBIE, THAT IS RIGHT.
A LOT OF LOCAL SAY BECAUSE OF
THE HIGH TIDE IN THE SMALL SIZE
OF THE BEACH, A LOT OF
BEACHGOERS ARE OFTEN FORCED
TOWARDS THE BLUFFS.
DESPITE REPEATED WARNINGS FROM
LIFEGUARDS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF
BLUFF COLLAPSES, MOST LOCAL SAY
THEY NEVER EXPECT TO EXPERIENCE
A TRAGEDY LIKE TODAY HERE IN
THEIR OWN COMMUNITY.
>> SO SHOCKING AND UNREAL.
RICHARD: FOR THOSE WHO LIVE IN
THIS PART OF LEUCADIA, GRANDVIEW
BEACH IS A HIDDEN GEM.
>> I SURF THERE EVERY DAY.
>> A LOT OF LOCALS, THAT IS
THERE BEACH.
THERE BEACH. RICHARD: MAKING FRIDAY'S BLUFF
COLLAPSE ALL THE MORE TRAGIC AND
PERSONAL.
PERSONAL.
PERSONAL. >> YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS,
IT IS REALLY SAD.
RICHARD: DESPITE REPEATED
WARNINGS FROM LOCAL LIFEGUARDS.
>> WE WARN PEOPLE EXCESSIVELY
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
WE HAVE OVER 3000 CONTACTS
ANNUALLY JUST ON THOSE THINGS
AND WE TELL PEOPLE OVER AND OVER
AND OVER TO STAY BACK FROM THESE
NATURALLY ERODING CLIFFS.
RICHARD: A WARNING THAT
SOMETIMES FALLS ON DEAF EARS.
>> US LOCALS, WE HAVE BEEN TO
THE BEACH EVERY SINGLE DAY.
IT IS SUMMERTIME.
WE SEE THE SIGNS BUT WE DON'T
EVER THINK ANYTHING BAD WILL
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. RICHARD: THE SMALL SIZE OF THE
BEACH MAKES IT EVEN MORE
DIFFICULT TO FIND A SAFE SPOT.
>> WHEN HIGH TIDE COMES, THERE
IS NOWHERE TO GO EXCEPT THE
CLIFF.
CLIFF.
CLIFF. RICHARD: FRIDAY'S EXCEEDINGLY
RARE ACCIDENT CAUSED BY NATURAL
EROSION, A SOMBER REMINDER FOR
FREQUENT GOERS.
FREQUENT GOERS. >> I THINK PEOPLE WILL BE MORE
CAUTIOUS.
CAUTIOUS.
CAUTIOUS. >> THINK ABOUT SITTING CLOSER TO
THE CLIFF, PROBABLY WON'T GO UP
FARTHER.
FARTHER.
FARTHER. RICHARD: JUST AS A REMINDER,
LIFEGUARDS RECOMMEND BEACHGOERS
KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE OF 25 TO 40
FEET AWAY FROM THE BLUFFS.
TONIGHT'S BLUFF COLLAPSE HAS
RESIDENTS ON EDGE, WORRIED ABOUT
THE STRUCTURAL SECURITY OF THEIR
HOMES.
HOMES.
HOMES. HOWEVER, AUTHORITIES CONFIRM ALL