Authorities: Las Vegas man killed in beach bluff collapse

SAN DIEGO -- A man was killed Wednesday by a collapsing stretch of oceanside bluff below the Torrey Pines Golf Course, authorities said.

The man, whose identity was not released, suffered severe head trauma when he was struck by the falling rocks, said San Diego police spokesman Gary Hassen.

The victim was in his 50s and visiting from Las Vegas, San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said.

The section of cliff gave way Wednesday afternoon, several hundred feet below the golf course, which hosted the U.S. Open in June.

The victim was on vacation with his family, said a man who identified himself as his brother and declined to give his name. A lifeguard helped dig out the victim's possessions after the collapse.

The beach and parts of the bluff surrounding the collapse were closed.