INDEX, Washing — The bodies of two people recovered this weekend after falling into the water at a dangerous swimming area in Washington state made popular by TikTok have been identified as men from Japan.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the men Tuesday as Hiroya Konosu, 21, and Takayuki Suzuki, 34, the Daily Herald reported.
Search and rescue personnel responded Saturday to the Eagle Falls area along the Skykomish River east of Index after reports that two men had gone underwater and not resurfaced. The two men were reportedly part of a group of four people.
Their bodies were recovered on Sunday.
The beautiful but dangerous swimming hole along U.S. Route 2 has skyrocketed in popularity thanks to social media, Sky Valley Fire Chief Eric Andrews said. The falls, videos of which went viral on TikTok in 2020, have become a “hotspot” for drownings in recent years, he said.
The falls feature a series of rapids where the glacier-fed water is channeled into narrow channels between the rocks. Nearly every year, people drown or are rescued after being swept over or into the falls.
Andrews said the TikTok wave has calmed down, but the falls remain popular.
Emergency workers have urged people to admire the falls outside the water.