Indian couple who fell to their deaths in Yosemite were intoxicated

A COUPLE who fell to their deaths from a scenic point at Yosemite National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains in October were drunk, according to a report.

Meenakshi Moorthy and Vishnu Viswanath, originally from Kerala, had set up their tripod overlooking the Yosemite Valley before they fell to their deaths 800 ft down the side of a cliff.

According to a coroner's report, the adventure-seeking couple, who often documented their travels on Instagram, were intoxicated at the time of their death.

“We can only conclude that they had consumed alcohol, but it is unknown to what level of intoxication,” Andrea Stewart, assistant Mariposa County coroner, said in an email to San Jose's Mercury News.

The couple died "of multiple injuries to the head, neck, chest and abdomen, sustained by a fall from a mountain," the report said.

Months before her death, Moorthy had warned about the dangers of taking selfies on the edge of cliffs and skyscrapers.

She posted a picture of herself at the Grand Canyon, and captioned it: "A lot of us including yours truly is a fan of daredevilry attempts of standing at the edge of cliffs. But did you know that wind gusts can be fatal? Is our life worth one photo?"

A park-goer had seen the couple before they plunged to their deaths.

“She was very close to the edge, but it looked like she was enjoying herself,” Sean Matteson said at the time about Moorthy, according to the New York Post.

“She gave me the willies. There aren’t any railings. I was not about to get that close to the edge. But she seemed comfortable. She didn’t seem like she was in distress or anything.”