18 June 2023 , 11:58
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A tourist has tragically plunged to his death at the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
The man, 33, fell over 4,000 feet to his death into the Colorado River below.
He was found dead after rescue teams in helicopters and rope specialists responded to calls around 9am on June 5, the Mojave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue confirmed.
An investigation is ongoing and the man has not yet been identified, but the sheriff's office shared a number for National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
"About 9am Monday (6/5) morning, the technical rope rescue team from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue responded to Grand Canyon West Skywalk for a 33-year-old male who went over the edge at the Sky Walk into the canyon," police said.
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The Grand Canyon remains a vastly popular tourist attraction (Getty Images/iStockphoto)"Two short-haul technicians (rope specialists) responded with [a] Kingman DPS Ranger helicopter to the scene and determined the man was deceased.
"He was extracted to the Command Post and transferred to the Hualapai Nation."
It is unclear if the man fell from the Skywalk or the Grand Canyon's edge.
A possible explanation for why the man may not have been identified could be that tourists are required to hand in their possessions when they access the Skywalk, this includes mobile phones and backpacks.
A report showed the Grand Canyon is the "deadliest park" in the US, with the most missing persons, death and suicides.
Mohave County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue shared a number for suicide prevention (Mohave County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue/Facebook)At least 56 people have been reported missing there since 2018.
Ken Phillips, once a search and rescue agent with the National Park Service, spent 27 years conducting searches and rescues within the Grand Canyon National Park.
Ken explained there are likely more deaths at the park than the records show.
“On average, there are 12 fatalities within the canyon every year,” he told The Post.
“Those can be from everything relating to heat stroke, lightning, drownings on the river, air crashes, suicides, accidental falls – all types of things."
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There is an estimated 23 fatalities in the park every year (Getty Images)In May, a 36-year-old hiker from Westfield, Indiana, lost her life on May 14 when she attempted to hike from the Grand Canyon rim to the Colorado River and back within a single day.
Rangers were alerted to an unresponsive hiker on the Bright Angel Trail near the Three-Mile Resthouse, the National Park Service said.
It is strongly discouraged to engage in inner canyon hiking between 10am and 4pm when temperatures are most extreme.
The Park Service advises against attempting the round trip from the rim to the river within a single day.
Hiking in extreme heat can pose significant health risks, they said, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hyponatremia (an electrolyte imbalance resulting from excessive water intake without sufficient salt consumption), and even death.
In the US, if you or someone you know needs help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.