Two college students in California died after being swept into the Pacific Ocean by rising tides and powerful surf while apparently napping near a popular but perilous beach access point, according to authorities.
The victims were identified as Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, both of Fremont, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office told local news outlets.
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Authorities said the two friends were believed to have been sleeping near the "Keyhole," a natural archway used to access Yellow Bank Beach, on Wednesday afternoon when incoming tides caught them off guard and pulled them into the water.
"Both of these patients, we believe, were originally sleeping right at the Keyhole, which is an area that we're finding catches people unaware," Santa Cruz County Volunteer Fire Capt. Kyle Breton said in a CAL FIRE video after the water rescue. "The tides come in, and in this case, they swept out two sleeping patients."
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Emergency crews rushed to the remote stretch of coastline after a witness called 911. About eight rescue swimmers entered the rough surf as part of a multi-agency rescue effort involving CAL FIRE, state lifeguards and local fire departments, officials said.
One woman was pulled ashore at Panther Beach, where rescuers immediately began life-saving efforts. The second was located farther down the shoreline and airlifted from Yellow Bank Beach by a CAL FIRE helicopter while CPR was underway, according to first responders.
Both women were rushed to hospitals but were later pronounced dead, KSBW reported.
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Nair was a legal studies major at the University of California, Berkeley, while Sran studied public health at San José State University. Both women graduated from Fremont's Washington High School in 2023 and were expected to complete their degrees in 2027, according to the New York Post.
"I have no idea what happened," Nair's father, Ahock Nair, told the Post. "I'm still in shock."
The tragedy unfolded along a notoriously hazardous stretch of Santa Cruz County coastline known for steep surf, strong currents and so-called "sneaker waves" that can surge far beyond the waterline with little warning.
Officials said Wednesday's rescue was the fifth water rescue in the past month along the one-mile stretch between Yellow Bank Beach and Bonny Doon Beach.
The deaths also came as powerful surf and dangerous ocean conditions battered California's coastline. Forecasters had warned of strong rip currents and large waves generated by a long-period southern swell, conditions that officials say have contributed to a rise in water rescues across the state.