Santa Cruz’s wharf partially collapsed Monday as a powerful storm battered a central California beach, sweeping three people out to sea.

Santa Cruz Wharf's collapse threw three people into the ocean after the National Weather Service warned of waves up to 60 feet.

Two people were rescued when a California pier under construction partially collapsed and fell into the ocean as the state’s central coast was pounded by heavy surf from a major storm expected to bring hurricane-force winds to the seas off the Pacific