Woman in California dies while taking photos at waterfall

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By Phil Helsel

A young woman died in northern California after she lost her footing while taking photos at Eagle Falls near Lake Tahoe, the fire protection district said in a statement Friday.

The woman, who was not immediately identified, was taking photos at the falls in Emerald Bay, on the west side of Lake Tahoe in the northeastern part of the state, officials said. She lost her footing and went over, the North Tahoe Fire Protection District said.

The agency did not say what type of photos she was taking, but did urge others to use extra caution while taking pictures. “This is a sad reminder to be cautious when taking selfies and other photos in dangerous areas,” the fire protection district said. “Don’t under estimate the power of water falls, rivers and cold water temperatures.”

The Tahoe Truckee Regional Rescue Team, a multi-agency organization, responded to the falls to recover the woman’s body, the fire protection district said.

The statement does not indicated what time the woman fell, but a notice was posted to the fire protection district’s social media accounts Friday evening. At that time the agency also urged people to avoid the area as emergency personnel were investigating.

An email to a public information officer for the fire protection district was not immediately returned early Saturday.

Eagle Falls is in California’s Emerald Bay State Park near the Eldorado National Forest, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

source: nbcnews.com