An English tourist is dead after she and a friend were swept to sea by a large wave off Carmel River State Beach.
The Monterey County Sheriff's office said 63-year-old Ann Houffe of West Sussex, England died late Monday.
Houffe, her friend Angela Jewell and their husbands were at the beach around 3 p.m. The women were near the surf when the wave rolled in and swept both out. The men called for help and a state parks lifeguard who was first to respond was able to reach Jewell. He stayed with her until a rescue boat arrived.
The rescuers couldn't reach Houffe and she was pulled further out into the rough surf. A Coast Guard helicopter from San Francisco arrived and spotted her in the water about 90 minutes later. She was taken to a hospital but she could not be revived.
