Three hikers found dead after they jumped into California waterfall

Authorities in Northern California recovered the bodies of three hikers who died after jumping into a waterfall in a remote area near Lake Tahoe.

The Placer County Sheriff’s Office announced the recovery Sunday.

The three men were part of a group of six that were hiking last Wednesday in the Soda Springs area, roughly 30 miles west of north Lake Tahoe, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Three of the men jumped into the water in an area known as Rattlesnake Falls and did not resurface, the sheriff’s office said. The sheriff’s office was alerted of a possible triple drowning shortly before 3 p.m.

The sheriff’s office responded with a dive team that was flown to the area via helicopter, according to the statement. The remaining three hikers were airlifted out Wednesday night, the sheriff’s office said, noting the area’s challenging terrain.

The sheriff’s office suspended search operations Thursday afternoon because of powerful winds that prompted strong currents and poor underwater visibility.

The search was expected to resume Sunday with better weather, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

The sheriff’s office did not immediately provide additional information about where the men were found or how they died.