Life preserver, lifebuoy, lifebelt

A man died attempting to rescue his daughter, who got swept into the ocean amid "high-surf conditions" at California's Garrapata State Park, officials said. The girl's body was found days later.

According to a news release from California State Parks, the girl was pulled into the water by "15 to 20 foot waves" on Friday, Nov. 14. The child was initially reported to be 5 years old, but family members later clarified her to be 7 years old.

Her father, 39-year-old Yuji Hu from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, went into the water to try to save her.

"As Hu reached for her, both were carried farther out to sea. The child’s mother entered the water in an effort to assist but was also overtaken by the surf," the Monterey County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Off-duty officer 'jumped into action,' officials say

According to both agencies, an off-duty California State Parks officer "jumped into action when he spotted a family in distress near the water line" just before 1 p.m. local time.

The official helped get the girl's mother back to shore and performed CPR on Hu, the news release stated.

A child, age 2, was on the scene but uninjured. Hu and the mother, who was not publicly named, were taken to local hospitals.

The father died, and the mother suffered from mild hypothermia.

Girl's body was found

Authorities launched air and ground search efforts throughout the weekend to recover the body of the 7-year-old girl.

Her body was found by a volunteer diver two days later, on Nov. 16.

Per the agencies, the body was recovered about half a mile north of the area where she initially went missing.

"The family has expressed their gratitude to all agencies, personnel, and community members involved in the search and recovery efforts," the Monterey County Sheriff's Office said.

Garrapata State Park is located in Monterey County.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man dies trying to save daughter from 'high-surf conditions' at California State Park

Reporting by Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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