A 23-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man drowned near a hiking trail in Tennessee Sunday after the woman fell into a creek and the man jumped in to try to save her, authorities said.
Police responded around 7:13 p.m. to a 911 call regarding the two men who were underwater near the Rainbow Lake Trail in Signal Mountain, the Signal Mountain Police Department said.
First responders were walking about a mile and a half along the trail when they encountered a woman waiting for them.
The woman told authorities she was part of a group of three or four people walking on the trail leading to a large stream.
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The man and woman were part of a small group hiking the Rainbow Lake Trail. (Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security)
A woman attempted to cross the creek but fell into a “drop-off” and fell underwater, authorities said. A man from their group then set off in pursuit, but the two men never resurfaced.
Police and firefighters jumped into the water to find and rescue the two victims, the department said.
The woman fell into a “drop-off” and found herself underwater, police said. The man jumped after her but also disappeared underwater. (Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security)
Rescuers found the woman in the water and pulled her to shore. They performed life-saving measures on the woman, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities requested additional assistance in the search for the missing man. His body was eventually recovered from the water.
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First responders recovered the bodies of the two victims. (Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security)
Police later identified the woman as Greffania Merilus, 23, of Cohutta, Gerogia, and the man Gullson Elve, 20, of Birchwood, Tennessee, News channel 9 reported.
Officials told the station the two men were “very close friends.”
Following the two deaths, Signal Mountain Town Council member Susannah Murdock said Local 3 News that she is calling for additional signage along the trail to warn hikers of potential dangers in the area.
“We have this nice sign here that says Rainbow Lake and that it’s a beautiful place there, but they don’t know that the terrain is rocky and bumpy and can be steep in places,” Murdock said. “When we have a lot of rain, the water runs off pretty quickly.”
