Pair die trying to save dog

A couple died and their 16-year-old son went missing after being swept into the sea in Northern California while trying to save their dog.

The family was at Big Lagoon, a beach north of Eureka, when the dog chased after a thrown stick and got pulled into the ocean by 8-10ft waves, said Dana Jones, a state parks and recreation district superintendent.

Jones said the boy went after the dog, prompting his father to go after them. She said the teenager was able to get out, but when he didn’t see his father, he and his mother went into the water looking for him.

“Both were dragged into the ocean,” Jones said.

Rescuers eventually retrieved the mother’s body and the father’s body washed up.

The dog got out of the water on its own, Jones said.