Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

3 Hikers Swept Over Yosemite Waterfall, Presumed Dead

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today. 

Three hikers are presumed dead after falling over the edge of a waterfall at Yosemite National Park on Tuesday. The incident took place at Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail in Yosemite National Park.

Hormiz David, 22, of Modesto, Ninos Yacoub, 27, of Turlock and Ramina Badal, 21, of Modesto were on a day trip to Yosemite when they decided to jump a guardrail and take a dip about 25 feet from the precipice of Vernal Falls, according to park officials.

Witnesses along the popular day-hiking trail called to the trio to get out of the water but the current swept them over the 317-foot waterfall.

A search-and-rescue operation was called off Wednesday morning by park officials as teams continued to scour the Merced River to recover the bodies.

Support for LAist comes from

It's been a deadly summer at the park as rivers and streams have been at high levels due heavy winter snowfall. Two Whittier men were killed when high waters swept them into Hetchy Hetch Reservoir on June 29 and a six hiker was killed at Yosemite this summer after slipping and falling into the river along the Mist Trail in May.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist