SODA SPRINGS — Three people went missing and were feared to have drowned Wednesday afternoon after leaping into a waterfall in a remote part of Placer County, authorities said.

Deputies were called to Heath Falls in Soda Springs around 3 p.m. for a report of three people who entered the water and did not resurface, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials later clarified that the people had gone missing near Rattlesnake Falls.

Multiple resources were dispatched to the area, including the Sheriff’s Office dive team, search and rescue units, a Cal Fire technical rescue team and a CHP helicopter.

hard to get to

“The terrain is extremely remote and difficult to access, making rescue efforts especially challenging,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

In a Thursday morning update, officials said their search was continuing. The Sheriff’s Office said it had made contact on Wednesday night with three other people who were part of the hiking group.