Authorities launched a search for a missing person Monday afternoon after learning that a car tumbled down a steep cliff near Point Mugu two days earlier.

A bizarre search and rescue operation unfolded Monday for an occupant of an SUV that reportedly plunged 1,000 feet down a hillside Saturday night in Ventura County. Details are limited and it’s unclear exactly how the crash in the area of Deer Creek Road,

The crash and the two missing people were not reported until Monday, two days after the car went over the side of the road north of Malibu.

The crash happened at around 2 a.m. on Sunday about 10 miles up Pacific Coast Highway, where the road is narrow and the cliffs steep.

The rescue started around 4:15 p.m. Monday after the driver contacted authorities about the Saturday crash, saying two people were inside at the time.

The two men hadn't been accounted for as of 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, said California Highway Patrol Officer Ryan Ayala, although authorities had determined no one was left in the vehicle or the rugged terrain surrounding it.