Search and rescue rangers at Yosemite National Park were scouring an area below a admired waterfall Tuesday afternoon after witnesses reported seeing at slightest one hiker being swept over the falls.
Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said Tuesday that emergency services established "multiple calls" about one or more hikers going into the water and over the 317-foot Vernal Falls on the Merced River at around 1 p.m.
Rangers immediately closed the Mist Trail, a popular hike with tourists that leads to the waterfall, and liberate 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 at 4:30 p.m.
Park officials often close areas when they feel a body force be recovered. Visitors were disturbed 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 undervalue 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 climbing near Yosemite Falls with his church group is still missing.
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