River Sweeps Hiker to Her Death in National Park

The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Chinese student Qing Yue
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 29, 2018 3:30 PM CDT
Woman Dies While Hiking in Mount Rainier Nat'l Park
A cloud hovers over Mount Rainier at sunset in a view from Klapatche Park Camp.   (Drew Perine/The News Tribune via AP, File)

A hiker has been killed in Washington state after being swept away by rushing river waters inside Mount Rainier National Park, per the AP. Park officials on Sunday said the woman was swept away Wednesday while attempting to cross the West Fork of the White River while hiking the Northern Loop Trail. The News-Tribune reports that the Pierce County medical examiner identified the woman as 22-year-old Qing Yue, a Chinese national who was attending college in the United States.

Other hikers watched the woman get swept away but could not locate her. A ground crew found her body Friday with assistance from a King County Sheriff's Office helicopter after an initial aerial search failed to find her. "River crossings can be extremely hazardous this time of year,” Mount Rainier Superintendent Chip Jenkins said in a press release. “These cold, swift-flowing waters require a high level of caution, even for those hikers with extensive experience, knowledge and skills.”

(More hikers stories.)

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