A MASSIVE new rock fall has hit Yosemite National Park, cracking with a thundering roar off the El Capitan rock formation, injuring one person and sending huge plumes of white dust surging through the valley floor below.
The slide came a day after a giant slab of granite plunged from the same formation, killing a British man on a hiking and climbing visit and injuring his partner.
Another climber Ryan Sheridan had just reached the top of El Capitan, a 7569ft (2307m) formation, when the rock let loose below him on Thursday.
“There was so much smoke and debris,” he said. “It filled the entire valley with smoke. It was in the same location of the previous rock fall. A larger rock fall let loose, easily three times the size,” Sheridan said.
One person was injured and was flown to a hospital, park ranger and spokesman Scott Gediman confirmed. There was no immediate word on the person’s condition.
Meanwhile, the man killed on Wednesday was identified as Andrew Foster, 32, of Wales. The park did not identify his partner but said she remained in hospital.
The park indicated that seven rock falls occurred during a four-hour period on Wednesday on the south-east face of El Capitan.
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