Part of Santa Cruz Wharf in California Collapses in High Surf

The end of a wharf that draws visitors to Santa Cruz, Calif., collapsed in high surf on Monday, sending three people into the water, while a man died at a nearby beach after being trapped under debris by a wave, the authorities said.

All three people at the wharf, two engineers and a project manager who were inspecting the structure, were rescued and taken to a hospital, city officials said at a news conference. No one was seriously injured or believed to be missing, Mayor Fred Keeley of Santa Cruz said.

About 15 miles southeast of the wharf, a man died after being stuck under debris washed up by a wave at Sunset State Beach, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said. The man was freed by bystanders and rescuers, taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, California State Parks said.

The wharf was built in 1914 and, at 2,745 feet, bills itself on Instagram as the longest fully wooden wharf in the Western Hemisphere. It has recently hosted holiday-themed events, like photo sessions with Santa Claus.

The end of the wharf was closed to the public when the last 150 feet of the structure collapsed into the Pacific Ocean at around 12:45 p.m., city officials said. The city had already determined that the end of the wharf needed to be taken down and repaired after it was damaged in storms over the past several years, officials said.

Heavy wooden pilings, part of the wharf deck, a restroom and part of a former restaurant were lost in the water, city officials said, as were two pieces of construction equipment, a crane and a skid steer loader.