Body recovered near Moss Beach after fall

A man found 150 feet down a cliff at Gray Whale Cove, north of Moss Beach in San Mateo County, was pronounced dead at the scene Wednesday, according to sheriff’s deputies.

A hiker saw the body at the bottom of the cliff reported the incident at 3:53 p.m.

Sheriff’s deputies and Cal Fire responded to an area along state Highway 1 roughly 100 yards south of the Tom Lantos Tunnel around 4 p.m., according to spokesman Salvador Zuno.

Firefighters with cliff-rescue training hiked roughly 150 feet down the cliff, located the body, and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene at 4:46 p.m. He’s being described as a white adult.

It’s not clear whether the victim fell down the cliff or was hiking near the area where he was found – more than half way down to the beach. Zuno said around 7 p.m. that preliminary information indicates there are no signs of foul play in the man’s death:

“Cal Fire personnel are still in recovery mode, trying to remove the body from the cliff.”

Motorists driving through the area can expect traffic due to the number of rescue personnel on scene, but there are no road closures in effect this evening, according to Zuno.