Oak Forest Man Drowns In Smokies National Park, 2nd Chicago-Area Visitor To Die At Park
CHICAGO (AP) -- Authorities say they have found the body of a man who drowned in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A news release from the park says 25-year-old Yogesh Patel of Oak Forest, Illinois was found Tuesday afternoon.
Park officials say he was discovered in 18 feet of water in Midnight Hole by rescue divers and was removed by emergency response workers that afternoon.
Officials say Patel went missing the previous evening after reports that he fell in the water at Midnight Hole and was observed struggling, but bystanders were unsuccessful in their attempts to pull him out.
He is the second Chicago-area man found dead in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the last two weeks.
On Monday, the remains of an Elgin man were found were found scattered near a campsite in the North Carolina portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a bear lurked nearby.
Rangers say his remains were found near Hazel Creek Trail after backpackers discovered an unoccupied tent on Friday and saw the remains "with a bear scavenging in the area."
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