YOSEMITE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The two people killed at Yosemite National Park following a rockslide at the park entrance on Tuesday have been officially identified by the National Park Service.
Officials say Georgios Theocharous, 51, and Ming Yan, 35, a married couple from San Jose were killed when a significant rockfall occurred around 9:00 a.m. near the Arch Rock Entrance Station in Yosemite National Park.
The force of the rockfall pushed their rented truck off the road and onto the embankment of the Merced River.
Officials say the rockfall was 185 tons and it impacted 500 feet of the road. The cause of the rockfall remains under investigation.
Tuesday’s update posted on Twitter by Yosemite National Park stated that El Portal Road, the continuation of Highway 140 into Yosemite Valley from El Portal, was closed by the rockslide but did not state that there were any people caught in it.
The road was reopened the following day.