CAPTION ONLY: 200-FOOT-WIDE ROCKSLIDE TURNS DEADLY IN YOSEMITE

Dust rises from an area in Yosemite National Park, Calif., after a 200-foot-wide rockslide hurled huge granite boulders down a cliff, killing at least one person and injuring seven Wednesday. While there were no reports of people missing, rescue workers resumed searching the rubble Thursday near Vernal Falls and Happy Isle, popular sites inside Yosemite Valley. A portion of the Glacier Point apron broke loose about 7 p.m. Wednesday, creating the rockslide during the park's busiest season. "It felt like an earthquake and sounded like cannon fire," said witness Bill Leavengood, a tourist from St. Petersburg, Fla. "There were two big booms, then the cloud started forming. It was as tall as the mountains within a minute." The force of the slide created a powerful air blast that downed trees in front of the rocks and created the dust cloud. No rocks reached the valley floor and no roads were blocked, but the falling trees leveled a snack bar. Early search efforts were hampered because it took 45 minutes for the dust to settle, said Deputy Superintendent Hal Grovert. Rockslides are common in the park, usually after heavy rain, officials said, but it had not rained recently.