INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
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 on Monday as the married couple from India living in the United States.A report in Fox News cited Mr Viswanath's
brother Jishnu Viswanath as saying that they were apparently taking a selfie
last Thursday after people reported seeing an unattended camera on a tripod, Vishnu Viswanath's brother said.He added that Ms 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."The
College of Engineering, Chengannur condoled the deaths of Vishnu Viswanath and Meenakshi Moorthy, who were its alumniThe 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, Ms 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"In an eerie coincidence, Ms Moorthy appears in the selfie of
another tourist couple at Taft Point, just minutes before she plummeted to her death.After reports of the couple's death emerged and their
identities were revealed, Sean Matteson said that Ms Moorthy appears in two of their selfie photos that they took at the popular tourist
destination.Mr Matteson said Meenakshi Moorthy's pink-haired visage appears in the corner of two photos he snapped of himself and his
girlfriend Drea Rose Laguillo
He said the woman made him a little nervous because he felt she was standing too close to the edge
But he said she appeared comfortable.Park spokesman Jamie Richards was earlier quoted as saying that "We still do not know what caused them
We're trying to understand what happened
We may never know, (but) from everything we see, this was a tragic fall."Mr Richards said that so far 10 people have died in the park this
year, and six of those park visitors fell to their deaths
In May, Asish Penugonda, a 29-year-old Indian national, fell to his death while ascending the park's famous Half Dome trail."Yosemite is a
If you are not paying attention to your footing, it is very easy to have a slip and fall," the park spokesperson said.Meenakshi Moorthy had
warned people of the dangers of taking selfies or photographs from the edge of cliffs and atop skyscrapers"Now, we don't know what happened
in this case, but we urge hikers to stay on the trail."Investigators were looking into how the couple fell or what had occurred when the
accident happened at the famous spot which is a favourite place for tourists from around the world to take scenic and memorable photos.The
couple had been married since 2014 and both were software engineers
On the cover of Vishnu Viswanath's Facebook page is a picture of the two of them smiling on the edge of a cliff at the Grand Canyon.In a
Facebook post, College of Engineering, Chengannur said the two were its alumni and added that it deeply mourns their "accidental demise"
The college said Vishnu Viswanath and Meenakshi Moorthy belonged to the BTech 2006-10 Computer Science and Engineering batch."Our hearts go
to the friends and family members of this lovely couple
May their souls rest in peace," the college said.Raj Katta, 24, of New York, said he got to know both of them while attending Bradley
He said Mr Viswanath was a "thoughtful and amazing guy, very talented
They are a really happy couple
Very positive."He described Ms 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."He said that Mr Viswanath and Ms Moorthy had
decided six months ago that he would take the job at Cisco and they would live in California for a year or so.
