Hawaii island firefighters recovered the body of an unidentified woman Sunday morning after it was seen going over a waterfall along the 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.
Firefighters 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 rappelled 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 approaching darkness and planned to return the next day.
On Sunday morning firefighters used ropes to retrieve the body and turned it over to Big Island police.
Kusch said it appears the body is not from a recent drowning, and police have no current missing-person reports matching the body.
On Jan. 26 a woman was swept away near Piihonua Falls along the Wailuku River. Firefighters searched several days for the woman, but her body was never found.
Woman arrested in hit-and-run deaths
Police arrested a 21-year-old woman Saturday night in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Makaha that left two men dead.
The woman was arrested at about 9:30 p.m. in Nanakuli for investigation of two counts of first-degree negligent homicide, two counts of fleeing the scene of a deadly accident and one count of fleeing the scene of an accident involving injuries.
The Monday night crash killed Jonah Ragsdale, 21, and Daniel Mole, 23, as they were repairing a tire on the side of Farrington Highway.
Police said the men were on the eastbound shoulder of the highway at about 7:40 p.m. when a 2013 Volkswagen Passat struck them. The driver was traveling east on the highway when the Passat hit the men about a mile east of Makua Cave.
The driver continued on without stopping to render aid.
Ragsdale died at the scene, and Mole was taken in critical condition to Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, where he died.
