Another person, a woman, died on scene. One other person was injured.
The city of Encinitas said Friday that the bluff gave way about 3 p.m. in the suburb north of San Diego.
Grandview Beach, where the collapse occurred, is highly popular with local residents and vacationers and the beach was filled with people at the time of the collapse.
A KNSD-TV helicopter captured footage of beach chairs, towels, surf boards and beach toys strewn about the sand.
The City has confirmed that two of the three victims that were transported to local area hospitals earlier today have succumbed to their injuries. This brings the total fatalities from this incident to three. Beachgoers should continue to use caution when visiting beach areas. pic.twitter.com/sTQdhQZIKh
— City of Encinitas (@EncinitasGov) August 3, 2019
Officials at the scene said collapses like this happen frequently along San Diego's ever-eroding coastline.
"Bluff collapses are fairly common. Probably 4 to 8 per year. Nothing of this magnitude, but we have had some in the past," said a representative with the California State Parks Police
Suburbs north of San Diego have contended with rising water levels in the Pacific Ocean, pressuring bluffs along the coast. Many bluffs are fortified to prevent multimillion-dollar homes from falling into the sea.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
