(NEXSTAR) – Beach visitors screamed and ran for safety after witnessing a massive bluff collapse that blocked off sections of Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego Thursday. No injuries were reported.
In a video of the incident, a huge shelf of the bluff is seen crashing to the earth, spraying sand in its wake.
Those walking along the beach this weekend were asked to stay close to the water, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. State park officials suspect it could be a week before the tide washes away the debris.
According to the website for the state park, rock slides and cliff collapses “occur with frequency” at Torrey Pines. The park recommends visitors time their beach walks to two to three hours before or after high tides, when there is more room between the water and the bluffs.
The state park did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Bluff collapses can be caused by rainstorms, which loosen the sediment along the cliffs. They are common at beaches along the San Diego coast.
In 2019 three people died after a bluff collapsed at Grandview Surf Beach in Encinitas, Calif. — just 14 miles north of Torrey Pines.
