The Placer County Sheriff's Office has confirmed the recovery of three bodies from Rattlesnake Falls, following a tragic incident involving a group of six hikers in the Soda Springs area, as reported by KCRA. On Wednesday, sheriff's deputies responded to the scene after receiving a call regarding a possible drowning around 3 p.m.; upon their arrival, they located the three other hikers from the group, the other three having jumped into the water at the falls and failing to resurface, leading to an immediate search and rescue mission.
The rugged landscape posed significant challenges for the rescue teams and necessitated the use of a California Highway Patrol helicopter to evacuate the remaining three men; the helicopter later brought in the dive team to commence the search for those unaccounted for, this according to the sheriff's office, but had to suspend operations later in the evening due to the combination of poor underwater visibility from debris and strong currents alongside windy conditions that rendered flying hazardous.
In a similar report by Fox40, the search effort included various units such as the Sheriff's Office Dive Team, Search and Rescue, CAL FIRE's Technical Rescue Team, and the CHP's aircraft; the initial search, which continued the morning after the men went missing, was called off in the afternoon due to worsening conditions and was described as limited but ongoing starting June 20.
According to the Fox40, The event came to a solemn close when on Sunday, the Placer County Sheriff's Office released a statement confirming the recovery of the bodies of the three men who jumped into Rattlesnake Falls, expressing their deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the departed, "Our heartfelt condolences go out to their families, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss," the recovery efforts concluded under somber circumstances, and no further details regarding the identities or ages of the victims have been disclosed to the public at this time.
