Car plunges from the cliff of California’s Devil’s Slide into the sea, killing three passengers: police

Three people died on Friday when their car plunged down a cliff into the sea near Devil’s Slide on California’s famous Highway 1.

Just before noon that day, police received a call about a single-vehicle crash. According to SFGate, police, firefighters and other first responders were then called to the cliff to conduct a rescue operation.

A California Highway Patrol spokesman and several media reports said the car – a gray two-door sedan – left the south side of the road and plunged about 300 feet down an embankment between Pacifica and Montara.

Authorities closed the road for several hours while rescue workers rappelled down to the vehicle, which was lying on its roof as seawater sloshed around the wreckage.

“It was a recovery mission, and there were steep cliffs and difficult terrain,” a Cal Fire member told Fox 2 KTVU. “The car was partially submerged, so our rescuers had to contend with waves.”

The impact was so violent that parts of the vehicle were thrown away from the wreckage.

When rescue workers arrived on the scene, they quickly determined that two of the vehicle’s occupants were dead.

But rising tides put an end to their efforts, which included dragging heavy equipment down the cliff so rescue workers could dismantle the car and recover the bodies, the station said.

A third person – also dead – was found in the car on Saturday, the outlet reported.

Police have not yet released the identities of the victims and investigations are ongoing, the highway patrol said.