76
Hawaii island firefighters recovered the body of an unidentified woman this morning after it was seen going over a waterfall along Wailuku River during heavy rain the day before in Hilo.
Firefighters received a call late Saturday afternoon about a body going over Rainbow Falls, said Hawaii Fire Battalion Chief Matthias Kusch.
At the time, the river was “raging” and its water level was extremely high following several days of rain, Kusch said.
Firefighter saw the body stuck in an eddy and tried to reach it, but it was swept away again and ended up in another eddy near a shallow cave in a deep gorge.
Firefighters rapelled into the gorge and were able to tie a rope to the body to secure it.
But firefighters wrapped up operations for the day because of the approaching darkness and planned to return the next day.
This morning, firefighters used ropes to retrieve the body and turned it over to Big Island police.
Kusch said it appears the Caucasian woman’s body is not from a recent drowning and police have no current missing person reports.
On Jan. 26, a Caucasian woman was swept away near Piihonua Falls along the Wailuku River. Firefighters searched several days for the woman, but her body was never found.
By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines.
Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.