Santa Cruz pier collapse: Chunk of California wharf drops into ocean taking three people with it

Three people were thrown into the ocean after a pier collapsed in a major storm in California that left at least one person dead.

The US National Weather Service on Christmas Eve warned of dangerous, large-breaking waves of up to 35 feet on the California coast.

In Santa Cruz, a public wharf under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean around 12:45 p.m., taking three people with it on Monday.

Two people were rescued by lifeguards, a third swam to safety and one was seriously injured.

Separately, in nearby Watsonville along the Monterey Bay, paramedics were called to Sunset State Beach, a state park, at around 11.30am Monday to a report of a man trapped under debris.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said it believed a large wave pinned him there. The man was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

In a warning, the weather service said: “Large waves can sweep across the beach without warning, pulling people into the sea from rocks, jetties and beaches.”

Three people were thrown into the Pacific Ocean but were not seriously injured (AP)

Some California cities ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon as forecasters warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day.

"We are anticipating that what is coming toward us is more serious than what was there this morning," Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley said Monday.

Mr Keeley said that section of the wharf had been damaged over time.

The structure was in the middle of a $4 million (£3.19m) renovation following destructive storms last winter about 70 miles south of San Francisco.

"It's a catastrophe for those down at the end of the wharf," said David Johnston, who was allowed onto the pier to check on his business, Venture Quest Kayaking.

Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet of the end of the wharf fell into the water. It was immediately evacuated and will remain closed indefinitely.

Some of the wharf's pilings are still in the ocean and remain "serious, serious hazards" to boats, the mayor said.

Those who fell into the water were two engineers and a project manager who were inspecting the end of the wharf, officials said. No members of the public were in the area.

Building inspectors were looking at the rest of the pier's structural integrity.