Update: San Jose couple killed by falling rocks in Yosemite National Park
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK – The two Bay Area residents who died following what was described as a "significant rockfall" at Yosemite National Park earlier this week have been identified.
According to park officials, the victims were 51-year-old Georgios Theocharous and 35-year-old Ming Yan, a married couple from San Jose.
Around 9 a.m. Tuesday, the pair were in their Dodge Ram rental truck on Highway 140 near the Arch Rock entrance when they were hit by rocks that fell 1,000 feet from above the roadway. Officials said the force of the impact pushed the truck off the road, where it landed on the embankment of the Merced River.
Officials said the rockfall comprised of about 185 tons of rock and it impacted about 500 feet of the road. Highway 140 was closed through Wednesday afternoon as crews cleared the scene and performed temporary repairs.
The rockfall is under investigation by geologists, park officials said.
Rockfalls are a geologic process "involving the detachment and rapid downward movement of rock," according to the National Park Service.
"Due to its steep, glacier-carved cliffs, Yosemite Valley experiences many rockfalls each year," the agency said on its website.
The agency said 47 rockfalls took place in 2021, which was described as a "relatively mild year."