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| Yosemite |
A search and rescue operation at Yosemite National Park resumed Wednesday for as many as three people that witnesses said were swept over the 317-foot high Vernal Falls.
Eyewitnesses said a man and woman climbed over the railing and appears to be taking pictures when they slipped on the wet rocks of the Mist Trail and tumbled into the fast moving waters of the Merced River above the falls. A third man then jumped into the waters attempting to help the couple.
All three, witnesses said, were swept over the falls into a rock-strewn pool below.
Darkness forced park officials to call off the search by 30 search and rescue personnel that began Tuesday afternoon following multiple emergency calls from witnesses.
Linda Sabo and her husband, Dean, were at the top of the falls when it happened.
“I saw two that were holding each other and one that was floating alone through the water,” Dean Sabo told reporters. “And the reason that I looked was because this woman was screaming, running along the edge of the water.“
Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said the footing in the area can be treacherous because of the persistent mist of water in the air.
“The portion of the trail up near Vernal Falls is called the Mist Trial,” she said. “It’s a very wet area. The water from the waterfall actually flows onto the trail so those rocks are wet and they can be slippery.”
By Tuesday night, investigators were still trying to clear up conflicting accounts of the incident from witnesses at the top of the falls while rangers combed the Merced River corridor in search of possible victims, Cobb said.
She said investigators were also interviewing visitors along the trails below.
Rangers immediately closed the Mist Trail, a popular hike with tourists that leads to the waterfall, following the incident.
Park officials often close areas when they feel a body might be recovered. Visitors were traumatized in May when a hiker slipped and fell into the Merced River. His body snagged on a rock and rescuers were not able to reach it for hours.
Record snowfall has created spectacular waterfalls in the park, but it's a treacherous beauty. Visitors often underestimate the force of water, and the mist from waterfalls creates slippery conditions on trails.
At least eight people have died in the park this year, Cobb said. Two men died after being swept off a bridge near the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in June. One man who disappeared while hiking near Yosemite Falls with his church group is still missing.
The Mist Trail will be closed until at least noon on Wednesday, possibly longer.
The path to the top of Vernal Falls, a three-mile trek with a 1,000-foot rise in elevation, is one of the most popular hikes in the park. At the top a guardrail separates visitors from the treacherous water, and signs in multiple languages warn visitors of the danger created by slippery boulders. Published accounts say that 13 people have died by falling over since records began being kept in the 1920s.
Eyewitnesses said a man and woman climbed over the railing and appears to be taking pictures when they slipped on the wet rocks of the Mist Trail and tumbled into the fast moving waters of the Merced River above the falls. A third man then jumped into the waters attempting to help the couple.
All three, witnesses said, were swept over the falls into a rock-strewn pool below.
Darkness forced park officials to call off the search by 30 search and rescue personnel that began Tuesday afternoon following multiple emergency calls from witnesses.
Linda Sabo and her husband, Dean, were at the top of the falls when it happened.
“I saw two that were holding each other and one that was floating alone through the water,” Dean Sabo told reporters. “And the reason that I looked was because this woman was screaming, running along the edge of the water.“
Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said the footing in the area can be treacherous because of the persistent mist of water in the air.
“The portion of the trail up near Vernal Falls is called the Mist Trial,” she said. “It’s a very wet area. The water from the waterfall actually flows onto the trail so those rocks are wet and they can be slippery.”
By Tuesday night, investigators were still trying to clear up conflicting accounts of the incident from witnesses at the top of the falls while rangers combed the Merced River corridor in search of possible victims, Cobb said.
She said investigators were also interviewing visitors along the trails below.
Rangers immediately closed the Mist Trail, a popular hike with tourists that leads to the waterfall, following the incident.
Park officials often close areas when they feel a body might be recovered. Visitors were traumatized in May when a hiker slipped and fell into the Merced River. His body snagged on a rock and rescuers were not able to reach it for hours.
Record snowfall has created spectacular waterfalls in the park, but it's a treacherous beauty. Visitors often underestimate the force of water, and the mist from waterfalls creates slippery conditions on trails.
At least eight people have died in the park this year, Cobb said. Two men died after being swept off a bridge near the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in June. One man who disappeared while hiking near Yosemite Falls with his church group is still missing.
The Mist Trail will be closed until at least noon on Wednesday, possibly longer.
The path to the top of Vernal Falls, a three-mile trek with a 1,000-foot rise in elevation, is one of the most popular hikes in the park. At the top a guardrail separates visitors from the treacherous water, and signs in multiple languages warn visitors of the danger created by slippery boulders. Published accounts say that 13 people have died by falling over since records began being kept in the 1920s.
