Yosemite National Park visitor dies after being swept over Nevada Fall

A 22-year-old man died after being swept over Nevada Fall at Yosemite National Park in an incident that was reportedly witnessed by several people over the weekend.

The National Park Service said emergency personnel started getting reports of someone going over the falls around 11 a.m. on June 20.

Rangers, along with search and rescue crews, were dispatched to the scene and started recovery operations below the falls. Yosemite officials said the person's body was recovered later that day.

The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office Coroner Division identified the person as 22-year-old Josue Baires Alfaro.

Witness accounts that circulated online described a swift-water incident above Nevada Fall, with one person reportedly pulled from the water while another person was seen being swept over. Yosemite officials have not released further details about what led up to Alfaro entering the water.

A number of deaths have occurred at Yosemite's Nevada Fall over the years. In 2018, an 18-year-old visitor from Israel died after falling while taking photos near the top of Nevada Fall.

National Park Service officials said they are continuing to investigate what happened.

Nevada Fall is a 594-foot waterfall on the Merced River and is one of the major landmarks along Yosemite's popular Mist Trail.

Visitors to the popular park are warned to never to swim or wade upstream from the brink of a waterfall, even if the water appears shallow or calm. The park also warns that spring and early summer runoff can make rivers and streams especially cold, high and swift.