Yosemite rangers search for hikers feared to have been swept over waterfall

July 20, 2011|Associated Press

FRESNO, Calif. - Search and rescue rangers at Yosemite National Park were scouring an area below a popular waterfall yesterday afternoon after witnesses reported seeing at least one hiker being swept over the falls.

A park spokeswoman, Kari Cobb, said yesterday that emergency services received multiple calls about one or more hikers going into the water and over the 317-foot Vernal Falls on the Merced River around 1 p.m.

Rangers immediately closed the Mist Trail, a popular hike with tourists that leads to the waterfall, and rescue officials sent a member of the park’s search and rescue team to the top of the falls while the rest of the team was deployed below.

“They’re out there interviewing witnesses, but they still don’t have anything,’’ Cobb said.

Park officials often close areas when they believe a body might be recovered. In May, 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 is 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.

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