An Indian couple who died after falling 800 feet in an area with steep terrain in California's Yosemite National Park last week were apparently taking a selfie before the tragedy occurred, a media report said.
Vishnu Viswanath, 29, and Meenakshi Moorthy, 30 fell to their deaths from Taft Point in the national park in California. They were identified Monday as the married couple from India living in the United States.
A report in Fox News cited Viswanath's brother Jishnu Viswanath as saying that they were apparently taking a selfie.
The popular viewpoint in the California park does not have a railing to protect visitors from the ledge.
Park rangers recovered their bodies last Thursday after people reported seeing an unattended camera on a tripod, Viswanath's brother said.
He added that Moorthy had set up the tripod by the ledge possibly to take a selfie. Rangers had arrived at the scene Thursday and "used high-powered binoculars to find them and used helicopters to airlift the bodies.
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The couple, who through their social media posts chronicled their traveling adventures, also wrote a blog called 'Holidays and HappilyEverAfters'.
Just months before her tragic death, Moorthy had warned in an Instagram post the dangers of taking photographs on the edge of cliffs and atop skyscrapers.
She posted a picture of herself at the Grand Canyon, saying in the caption that "A lot of us including yours truly is a fan of daredevilry attempts of standing at the edge of cliffs. But did you know that wind gusts can be fatal? Is our life worth one photo?
Park spokesman Jamie Richards was earlier quoted as saying that "We still do not know what caused them to fall. We're trying to understand what happened. We may never know, (but) from everything we see, this was a tragic fall."
"Now, we don't know what happened in this case, but we urge hikers to stay on the trail."
Raj Katta, 24, of New York, said he got to know both of them while attending Bradley University, in Illinois. He said Viswanath was a "thoughtful and amazing guy, very talented. They are a really happy couple. Very positive."
Katta described Moorthy as extremely positive and enthusiastic. "She's one of those girls who wants to explore the world and discover a deeper meaning in life."