Third Vernal Fall victim identified

Yosemite National Park has positively identified the body of Ramina Badal, 21 year old female, of Manteca, Calif. All three victims of the July 19, 2011 incident over Vernal Fall have now been accounted for and positively identified. Badal was found in the Merced River, approximately 120 yards below the Vernal Fall footbridge, by a Yosemite National Park Ranger at approximately 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. The footbridge is located approximately one half mile below the base of Vernal Fall.

Badal had been missing since July 19, 2011, when she, Hormiz David, 22 year old male, of Modesto, Calif., and Ninos Yacoub, 27 year old male, of Turlock, Calif., were witnessed being swept over the 317 foot waterfall. The body of David was found on Aug. 5, by Yosemite National Park Rangers and Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel approximately 240 feet below the waterfall. The body of Yacoub was found on Nov. 29, by a Yosemite National Park Ranger approximately 100 yards below the Vernal Fall footbridge near the area where Badal was later located.

Yosemite National Park, along with several other agencies, had been searching for the victims since July. Fluctuating water levels in the Merced River, changing weather conditions, and treacherous terrain contributed to a difficult and challenging search. However, with low water levels in the Merced River and dry weather, Park Rangers have been able to access areas within the river corridor that were previously impossible to search.   –NPS