Indian couple ID'd in Yosemite National Park deaths
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Oct 31, 2018
Matteson said he doesn't recall noticing Viswanath when he and his girlfriend were at the overlook with less than a dozen other tourists.
He added that Ms Moorthy had set up the tripod by the ledge possibly to take a selfie. "This recovery operation involved Park Rangers using technical climbing and rappelling techniques, in addition to helicopter support from the California Highway Patrol for a short-haul operation", the park said in a statement.
The couple were in the United States to study engineering, but also had a travel blog, Holidays and Happily Ever Afters. During their trip, Moorthy posted a photo to Instagram with her back to the camera, sitting on a ledge and gazing at a sunset. But did you know that wind gust can be FATAL??? "Is our life just worth one photo?" the post read.
A view from Taft Point Overlook in Yosemite National Park.
The Indian couple who fell to their deaths from a popular overlook at Yosemite National Park in the western US was apparently taking a selfie, the man's brother said Tuesday.
"She was very close to the edge, but it looked like she was enjoying herself", said Matteson, who lives in Oakland, California. But he said she appeared comfortable.
"We still don't have any clear idea exactly what happened", Jamie Richards, a spokeswoman for Yosemite National Park, told the Bay Area newspaper Mercury News.
'The person taking the photos contacted us this morning and said that [Viswanath and Moorthy] were there after dark'.
Mr Richards said that so far 10 people have died in the park this year, and six of those park visitors fell to their deaths.
An Israeli 18-year-old accidentally fell hundreds of feet to his death last month while hiking near the top of the 600-foot-tall Nevada Fall.
Yosemite is one of the most photographed places in the world and fatal mishaps have increased with the advent of social media, Michael Ghiglieri, who co-authored a 2007 book that chronicles fatal misadventures in the park, told the Los Angeles Times. "When you come to a place like Yosemite National Park and you go to places with majestic scenic views, there is an inherent level of personal risk".
"Now, we don't know what happened in this case, but we urge hikers to stay on the trail". On the cover of Vishnu's Facebook page is a picture of the two of them smiling on the edge of a cliff at the Grand Canyon.
The Indian citizens met at the College of Engineering in Chengannur in southern India in 2009.
The bodies of Vishnu Viswanath, 29, and Meenakshi Moorthy, 30, were located Thursday. "May their souls rest in peace", the college said.
The two had recently moved to NY.
It is something she thinks people need to be more mindful of, noting: ' I mean my family and friends think I'm insane for being there in general.
After taking the picture, the photographer went to the spot to meet the couple but could not find them.
Mr Katta described Meenakshi Moorthy as extremely positive and enthusiastic.