SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- For decades the century-old Santa Monica pier served as a location for dozens of movie and TV shows but now much of it is gone, pounded into the Pacific by 20-foot waves.
The surf tore away another 400-foot section of the recreational pier Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, taking with it two giant cranes, a boat derrick, three cars and a pickup truck.
The latest collapse cut the pier to half its original 1,500-foot length but caused no injuries.
Last month about 100 feet of the 108-year-old landmark were destroyed by breakers during another storm.
A city spokewosman said the historic carousel and Moby's Dock Restaurant were still standing, but added, 'We don't know how much else is going to go.
'The sea around the pier is littered with wood which is beating at the remaining pilings,' Linda Sullivan said.
Total damage was estimated at up to $6 million.
The pier's restaurants, fast food stands, carousel and shops as well as fishing and boating facilities are used by hundreds of thousands of people each year.
