A teenage girl has sacrificed her life to save her younger sister from falling down a North Carolina waterfall in the United States (U.S.) during the July 4 holiday.
H’Money Siu, 16, of Charlotte, and her sister, 11, had fallen into a river 120 to 150 feet above Rainbow Falls in Transylvania County, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman said.
She tried to help her younger sister get out of the river, but fell down the waterfall.
An older family member managed to grab the other girl, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman said.
Multiple news outlets reported the fall occurred around noon.
More than 40 agencies, including forest services and multiple volunteer fire departments, aided in the search for the girl’s body.
About 100 people were evacuated from the river below the falls during the search.
Divers recovered the body around 5 p.m. from a pool about 25 feet deep.
Siu’s accident marks the sixth waterfall-related death in western North Carolina this year.
Safety officials have urged visitors and hikers to exercise caution around the dangerous falls.
Rainbow Falls are about 150 miles from Siu’s family’s home in Charlotte.
They are originally from Vietnam.
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