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Bay Area Couple Identified After Drowning at Roaring River Falls

National Park Service warnings about slippery granite and powerful snowmelt currents underscore persistent safety risks at the site.

The Roaring River Falls in Kings Canyon National Park, Calif. 
Image
Roaring River cuts through Zumwalt Meadows, in Kings Canyon National Park. A few miles west, the river crashes over a 40-foot waterfall, where a San Mateo Couple died last week. 
Roaring River Falls.

Overview

  • Authorities confirmed the deaths of Parth Patel, 30, and Dharti Patel, 29, of San Mateo after the couple drowned at Roaring River Falls.
  • The drownings occurred on May 25 at the popular 40-foot cascade along the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and multiple news reports.
  • The Fresno County Coroner’s Office formally identified the victims on June 1, and officials say the circumstances remain under investigation with few additional details released.
  • Visitors’ social media posts and eyewitness accounts reported that one person slipped on wet rock while taking a photo and that a rescue attempt pulled both into the fast-moving water, prompting search-and-rescue response with helicopters on scene.
  • The National Park Service warns that Roaring River Falls channels late-spring snowmelt through a narrow granite chute, creating hidden currents and very slippery surfaces, and park officials say drowning is a leading cause of death in Sequoia and Kings Canyon during snowmelt season.