Hunt for missing Chinese couple in U.S. national park

Police in the United States are hunting for a Chinese couple who've gone missing in the Californian countryside.

A missing notice about Wang Yinan and Song Jie posted on the National Park Service website. [Photo: Qianjiang Evening News]

Wang Yinan, a 31-year-old postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and his 30-year-old wife, Song Jie, disappeared in the Sequoia National Park over a week ago.

The police say they found the number plate from their white 2012 Ford Focus in bushes near the Kings River. Wreckage was found near Fresno, but it's uncertain if it came from the couple's car, or from an earlier accident.

A photo of Wang Yinan (R) and Song Jie [Photo: Qianjiang Evening News]

Investigators believe Wang and Song may have died falling off the cliff, but are continuing to search the area.

The National Park Service (NPS) website says four people have drowned and several barely survived in local rivers and creeks, and urged extreme caution around water.

The last post by Song Jie on the WeChat messaging platform on August 5, the day before the couple was last seen, showing the food she had prepared for the camping and hiking trip the next day. [Photo: Qianjiang Evening News]

The NPS said the couple was last seen on Sunday, August 6 after a cave tour. They had reportedly planned to travel north to Kings Canyon National Park, staying the night in Fresno, California. They had reservations for the Yosemite National Park on Monday, but didn't show up. Their family reported them missing on August 11.

The car plate belonging to the couple's Ford Focus was found by police in bushes near the Kings River. [Photo: Qianjiang Evening News]

Wang and Song come from Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, according to the Qianjiang Evening News. Song is an English teacher at a local primary school and had travelled to the U.S. to visit her husband during the summer vacation.

It is reported Wang's family has gone to the U.S., and that Song's family is currently applying for American visas.