Klamath tsunami victim identified; search comes up empty

According to the Times Standard on-line edition, dated March 13, 2011:
Authorities have released the identity of an Oregon man who was swept out to sea at the mouth of the Klamath River Friday morning while attempting to take photographs of the tsunami surge generated from the 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan.

Dustin Weber, 25, from Bend, Ore., was taking pictures with two other people around 11 a.m., said Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office Commander Bill Stevens, when the trio was swept out by large swells that hit much of the northern California coastline.Two of the people made it back to shore safely, said Stevens, but Weber did not. ”They were all down there trying to capture pictures of the tsunami event,” Stevens said. “And he fell victim to it.”

The U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search effort for Weber a short time later, deploying a pair of helicopters and a life boat.The search was suspended roughly seven hours later after rescue personnel conducted six flights and combed the area for 250 square miles. The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office also suspended its search for Weber, who is presumed dead. While the death toll from the earthquake continues to mount in Japan, Weber is believed to be the only fatality on the West Coast.