California's Highway 1 is experiencing one-way traffic control in part of San Mateo County after a body and a vehicle were discovered "a few hundred feet down" from a cliff at Devil's Slide near Pacifica on Wednesday afternoon.
A fatal collision was reported at around 2:15 p.m., according to CAL FIRE CZU, and the unit recovered a vehicle and a body just before 5:30 p.m. Witnesses said the car went over a cliff near the Tom Lantos Tunnels, and numerous local agencies responded to the incident.
Sean Copeland, a photojournalist with KRON, photographed a damaged, black car on the beach below.
The California Highway Patrol tweeted at 2:33 p.m. that Highway 1 would be indefinitely closed in the southbound direction so emergency personnel could respond to a "vehicle over the cliffside." The San Mateo County Sheriff's Department then issued a countywide alert that Highway 1 was closed in both directions "just south" of Tom Lantos Tunnels.
Caltrans District 4 announced at 4:20 p.m. that the California Highway Patrol was on the scene enforcing one-way traffic controls, and CAL FIRE CZU arrived soon after to attempt to recover the vehicle.
Just before 5:30 p.m, the Sheriff's Department said the tunnels had reopened to traffic, albeit with one-way traffic controls.
The Tom Lantos Tunnels opened in 2013, enabling drivers along Highway 1 to avoid dangerous portions of Devil’s Slide. The slide often necessitated lengthy repairs along the route prior to the tunnels' construction.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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