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High Tide Halts Search Saturday for Woman Buried Under Fort Funston Landslide

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- High tide forced the suspension Saturday of the search for the body of a woman believed trapped under tons of dirt on Fort Funston beach in San Francisco.

U.S. Park Police took over recovery operations Friday night after San Francisco firefighters called off rescue effort more than three hours after the woman was reported trapped under a landslide.

Cliff collapse at Fort Funston in San Francisco. (CBS)
Cliff collapse at Fort Funston in San Francisco. (CBS)

Authorities say two women were walking with a dog about halfway on a cliff when a landslide swept them to the beach. Bystanders pulled one woman buried up to her neck to safety on the beach popular with dog walkers. The dog was rescued as well.

Fort Funston is part of the federal Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is about 10 miles south of the Golden Gate Bridge. Searchers said they will resume looking for the body when conditions are safe.

RELATED: Geology, Wet Weather Make Coastside Cliffs Hazardous

Fort Funston is set above steep sandstone cliffs that are about 200 feet above the beach. The former military installation and the beach below are popular off-leash areas for dog walkers.

San Francisco Fire Department Lt. Jon Baxter said bystanders were furiously digging for the buried woman when rescue workers arrived. The rescued woman was taken to a hospital with injuries that aren't life-threatening, Baxter said.

Officials have not released the identities of either woman.

© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report

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