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The Latest: 2 killed in Yosemite fell 800 feet from overlook

The Latest: 2 killed in Yosemite fell 800 feet from overlook

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Latest on 2 people who fell to their deaths from a popular overlook in Yosemite National Park (all times local):

2:00 p.m.

A Yosemite National Park official says two people killed after falling from a popular overlook plunged about 800 feet (245 meters) in very steep terrain.

Park spokeswoman Jamie Richards said Friday park rangers rappelled and climbed the granite wall under the Taft Point overlook and reached the bodies after working on to find them Thursday. A California Highway Patrol helicopter also assisted them.

She says officials are investigating when the pair fell and from which part of Taft Point, which is 3,000 feet (900 meters) above the famed Yosemite Valley floor. A tourist spotted them Wednesday. The victims have not been identified.

The Taft Point overlook has some railings, but visitors can walk to the edge of a vertigo-inducing granite ledge that has become a popular spot for photos posted on social media.

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10 a.m.

A Yosemite National Park official says park rangers have recovered the bodies of two people who fell to their deaths from a popular overlook.

Park spokeswoman Jamie Richards said Friday rangers recovered the bodies of a male and a female on Thursday after working all day to get to them. Richards said she did not know how the rangers reached the bodies but that they worked all day in the "challenging area."

She says officials are investigating when the pair fell and from which part of Taft Point, which is 3,000 feet (900 meters) above the famed Yosemite Valley floor. The victims have not been identified.

The Taft Point overlook has some railings but visitors can walk to the edge of a vertigo-inducing granite ledge that does not have a railing and has become a popular spot for photos posted on social media.

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12:00 a.m.

Officials at Yosemite National Park are investigating the deaths of a man and a woman who fell from a popular overlook.

Park spokesman Scott Gediman says a visitor reported Wednesday that two people had plunged to their deaths at Taft Point, which is at an elevation of 7,500 feet (2,285 meters).

It's still unclear when the pair fell and from what spot. They have not been identified.

Gediman says railings only exist at some parts of the overlook.

Taft Point offers breathtaking views of the valley, Yosemite Falls and El Capitan and has fissures on the granite rock that drop to the valley floor. Visitors can walk to the cliff's edge, where there is no railing.

More than 10 people have died this year in Yosemite, some from natural causes and others from falls.

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