Rescue divers found the body of a missing Illinois man in Midnight Hole at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, according to the park service.
Yogesh Patel, 25 of Oak Forest, Illinois, was discovered shortly after noon Tuesday in 18 feet of water at Midnight Hole, natural swimming pool below a waterfall in the Big Creek area. Emergency response personnel removed his body within the hour.
Bystanders witnessed Patel fall into the water and begin to struggle Monday evening and tried but failed to assist him. Patel was reported missing at 7:36 p.m. Park rangers and Haywood County, North Carolina, emergency responders arrived to Midnight Hole by around 8 p.m. and began searching for him.
Reach Brittany Crocker at bri[email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @brittcrocker.
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