Bay Area couple drowns at waterfall in Kings Canyon National Park

A married couple from the Bay Area drowned at a popular waterfall in Kings Canyon National Park last week, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. 

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The deaths occurred on May 25 when Dharti Patel, 29, and Parth Patel, 30, were visiting the park’s Roaring River Falls, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tony Botti told SFGATE via email. The couple was from San Mateo. 

Other visitors to the park that day later posted on social media about hearing sirens and seeing a helicopter by the waterfall. Search and rescue personnel were also seen at the trailhead’s parking lot. On Facebook, one user said they were there when it happened and wrote that “a Woman wanted to take a picture and slipped of the rock … and felt into the Water. Her husband (?) wanted to rescue her and both didn’t make it.”

Roaring River Falls is an easily accessible waterfall located along the Kings Canyon National Park Scenic Byway. The waterfall is known for its powerful water pressure, which is formed by large amounts of snowmelt rushing through a narrow granite chute. 

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The National Park Service advises against swimming at Roaring River Falls, as the rocks there are slippery and strong currents “can easily drag you under.” Drowning is one of the most common causes of death in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, according to the Park Service.