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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World

Yosemite deaths: Tragic couple who plunged 3,000ft 'had warned against risky social media photos'

A file image of Yosemite National Park in California, as Vishnu Viswanath, 29, and Meenakshi Moorthy, 30, were reported to have fallen 3,000ft to their deaths (Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Two travel bloggers who fell to their deaths from a 3,000ft beauty spot had previously warned of the dangers of daredevil photos for social media “likes”.

Vishnu Viswanath, 29, and Meenakshi Moorthy, 30, were reported to have fallen from the Taft Point cliff in California’s Yosemite National Park.

The couple had thousands of social media followers on their “Holidays and Happily Ever Afters” Instagram account and travel blog.

The cause of their deaths is under investigation by US authorities, and there was no indication the couple engaged in risky behaviour for social media purposes.

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CHASING SUNSETS or CHASING LIKES ??? 😛 ... Sooo today on #socialmediabadasstribe we are talking about limits of #doitforthegram.😶Yeah sure it can be limitless but guys, we reaaaallly need to have boundaries(this is handy as life lessons too but we will revisit that later😉) A lot of us including yours truly is a fan of daredevilry attempts of standing at the edge of cliffs ⛰and skyscrapers🌆, but did you know that wind gusts can be FATAL??? ☠️ Is our life just worth one photo? ... When we squirm at another selfie attempt gone south 😱 from a skyscraper, let’s remember to save that in our core memory 🧠 and not the memory dump 🛢(I am still on the Inside Out 🎬 train y'all 😬) Same applies when we get our knickers in a twist and hog a spot till we get the perfect shot🙄 I know I know, I am guilty as charged for all of this 🤦‍♀️ and if I didn’t have Mr. Two Goody Shoes, Vishnu 🤭 with me, I am not even sure if I would have written this post. ... Let us all try to be responsible digital citizens and use our “numbers” to be transparent and honest, shall we?🤗 None of us is perfect and the more we accept it and share our flaws as much as our wins, we are one step closer to creating a sane social media without the scary brouhahas.💕✨ ... Still there?👀 Woohoo, a backflip is in order, or wait maybe a pizza? 🍕 What about a unicorn ice-cream 🦄 🍦 with some Disney-approved cotton candy 🍭🍬 and pixie dust infused sprinkles 🧚‍♀️ if…..IF you could tell me the one time you were effin’ proud of being candid and real AF in social media? 😎 ... PS - Not sponsored but sweatshirt is from @radearthsupply • • • #grandcanyonnps #northrim #instagramaz #visitarizona #travelarizona #shotzdelight #discovertheroad #usaroadtrip #visittheusa #outdoorsusa #exploretheusa #womenwhoexplore #iamtb #radparks #thediscoverer #gtgi #sheisnotlost #wearetravelgirls #hikemore #radgirlslife #travelreality #dreamscape @womenwhoexplore @visit_arizona @visittheusa @shotzdelight

A post shared by TravelCreatives❤️Minaxi+Vishnu (@holidaysandhappilyeverafters) on

Earlier this year, in an Instagram snap of Ms Viswanath sat near a cliff edge at the Grand Canyon, they had warned of the dangers of “doing it for the gram”.

“Guys,” the caption read, “we reaaaallly need to have boundaries.

"A lot of us including yours truly is a fan of daredevilry attempts of standing at the edge of cliffs and skyscrapers, but did you know that wind gusts can be FATAL??? Is our life just worth one photo?”

View this post on Instagram

Heylooow incredible people of the Instagram world! 🤗Just wanted to let you all know that this account "minaxivishnu" is renamed to “HolidaysandHappilyEverAfters” , in sync with our brand new blog ✨ ... Most of you already know this mermaid-haired wanderess Minaxi and her captain Vishnu, but in case some of you missed, we are an NYC based gypsy couple 👫“Consumed by Wanderlust 🌍, Compelled by Adventures 🚎and Conviction in HappilyEverAfters” 💕 I, Minaxi looove to waltz with words 🎶🖋 and will remain the high-spirited story-teller at our blog and all social media, while Vishnu is the go-to “techie-in-residence” 💻⚙️. He is also the head photographer 📸of most our pretty pics! (aided and abetted by his mermaid of course 😉) ... Diagnosed with the curious case of interminable travel bug🗺, as we wander around the world we absolutely love sharing our adventures with this community 🤗, and each and every single comment and conversation we share with all of you undeniably makes us a helluva happy bunny 😍🐰 ... As much as all social media uses the word followers/subscribers, we hate it 😑and would rather use the word friends or even family, as some of you have quite made a habit of warming the cockles of our heart 💖😇 Sooo, welcome aboard all you dear fabulous friends 🤗and wander 🌍with us in our happy place of HolidaysAndHappilyEverAfters 😊 • • • #travelblog #travelblogger #traveldiaries #newblog #travelogue #expatblogger #blogging #femaletravelbloggers #darlingescapes #sheexplores #welivetoexplore #maketimetoseetheworld #lifewelltravelled #exploringglobe #letsgoeverywhere #instatravel #mytravelaffairs #travelcouple #newyorkcity #nyc_instagram #newyorklike #ig_nycity #igersofnyc #newyork_ig #nyc_highlights #nyc_explorers #timessquare #streetsofnewyork #timeoutnewyork #timeoutsociety

A post shared by TravelCreatives❤️Minaxi+Vishnu (@holidaysandhappilyeverafters) on

The couple died on Thursday. More than 10 people have died at Yosemite National Park this year, some from natural causes and others from falls.

A study found more than 250 people worldwide have died while taking dangerous selfies since 2011.

Scientists behind the report were so concerned about the trend that they called for “no-selfie” zones near water edges, mountain peaks and the top of tall buildings.

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