LA PUSH, Wash — Efforts to recover the body of a woman who was swept out to sea near Rialto Beach were completed on Wednesday evening, according to Olympic National Park officials.
Officials identified the woman who went missing on Monday as Swetha Chirumamilla, a Seattle resident. The 26-year-old was hiking along the beach with two friends when a wave overpowered the group and she disappeared, according to the national park's public affairs office.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) said it received a call at 10:50 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 25, about the 26-year-old who was reportedly taken by ocean currents while she was visiting the popular beach near Olympic National Park. The beach is on the Olympic Peninsula northwest of Seattle.
The Coast Guard had two helicopter crews and a land search party participating in the rescue effort, with help from the Clallam County Sheriff's Office, the La Push Tribal Police Department and the Olympic National Park Search and Rescue Team.
After five hours of searching, Chirumamilla's body was found by rangers on land around 5 p.m. the same day. Due to extremely dangerous weather conditions, officials were unable to complete the recovery operation until Wednesday evening.
The National Weather Service in Seattle had issued a small craft advisory and a gale warning Monday along the coast for strong winds causing hazardous seas.
A powerful system was bringing heavy rain, gusty winds, below-average temperatures and a wintry mix at higher elevations to parts of the Northwest, including western Washington and western Oregon, on Monday, the weather service said.
The incident is under investigation by the National Park Service.