3 Yosemite Hikers' Bodies Found below Vernal Fall

Yosemite National Park officials confirmed on Monday that a body found last week was that of one of the three young hikers swept over a waterfall this past summer.

Meanwhile, searchers came upon another body that could likely be the last missing hiker from the July accident, witnessed by dozens of onlookers on one of the park's most popular trails.

In July, witnesses in California's iconic park watched as the three hikers were swept over the 317-foot Vernal Falls. Eyewitnesses said that a man and woman climbed over the railing and appeared to be taking pictures when they slipped on wet rocks off 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 rescue the couple.

In the height of Yosemite's busy summer season, the incident occurred as over 2,000 people hiked in the area of the falls. Parkgoers looked on in horror as all three were then swept over the falls into a rock-strewn pool over 300 feet below.

We've never had a tragedy witnessed by so many, park spokesman Scott Gediman said at the time.

A search and rescue team combed the park, but no bodies were found.

After a record winter snowfall, Yosemite received 199 percent of normal snowpack, which led to higher water levels than normal over the summer.

The body of Ninos Yacoub, 27, was found on Nov. 29, trapped under towering boulders that became visible after the river level receded to its lowest level all year. According to park officials, the Mariposa County coroner made a positive identification.

On Saturday, rangers searching in the same area located another body that family members believe is that of 21-year-old Ramina Badal.

The third victim, 22-year-old Hormiz David, was found a month after the incident pinned against a boulder 240 feet downstream from the waterfall.

The trio was part of a group of friends in a close-knit community of Central Valley Christians from the Middle East.

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 dangerous river currents, 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 in the 1920s.

The summer would be one of Yosemite's deadliest in history. There were 20 deaths in total, 13 from accidents.