Falling tree limb kills two young campers in Yosemite

Two young campers were killed in Yosemite National Park on Friday when a tree limb fell and struck their tent, according to the National Park Service.

The two campers were sleeping in a tent at the Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley, Calif., when a limb from an oak tree struck their tent around 5 a.m. PT on Friday, according to a statement from the National Park Service.

Park rangers found both of the campers dead, the park service said in a statement. Officials are not releasing the names or ages of the victims.

"Our thoughts are with the families as they grieve this tragedy," Don Neubacher, Yosemite National Park superintendent, said in the statement.

This is not the first incident to dampen the typically bustling summer tourism season. On Monday, officials closed Yosemite's Crane Flat Campground after a child from Los Angeles contracted the plague while camping there in mid-July.

The park service reopened the campground on Friday but is closing a nearby campground after dead animals were tested and found to be carrying the plague.

The Tuolumne Meadows Campground, about 40 miles from the Crane Flat campground, will be closed from Monday through Aug. 21 while officials apply flea treatment to rodent burrows in the campground.

The plague is normally spread through concentrated rodent populations. Rodents like rats and mice are known carriers of the fleas that cause the plague.

Health experts advise individuals to avoid dead animals, to treat clothing with insect repellent when hiking, to prevent pets from roaming and to avoid sharing a bed with pets. Plague victims normally exhibit symptoms, which include swollen lymph nodes, fever and chills, within a two- to six-day period.

On average, seven human plague cases are reported in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Contributing: Marc Cugnon

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