A man has died after falling 4,000 feet from the Grand Canyon Skywalk, officials have confirmed.
The incident took place last week, and a representative from the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said that the 33-year-old man ‘went over the edge’ of the skywalk, and fell to his death.
“Two short-haul technicians (rope specialists) responded with Kingman DPS Ranger helicopter to the scene and determined the man was deceased,” a Facebook statement from the county sheriff’s search and rescue team said.
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Whilst it is not clear whether the man intended to go over the top of the skywalk, the sheriff’s office did include a suicide prevention hotline number in their post.
The investigation into the circumstances is ongoing.
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge that juts out over the top of the huge canyon at an elevation of 4,000 feet – around 1,219 metres – above the canyon floor below.
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It is located on Native American tribal lands and is therefore managed by the Hualapai Tribe.
The skywalk attraction offers visitors to the attraction incredible views of the canyon, as well as the Colorado river beneath.
Both canyon and river are of great traditional and religious significance to the Hualapai Tribe, and 108 miles of both are on their reservation.
The police search and rescue statement added that the man’s remains were ‘extracted to the Command Post and transferred to the Hualapai Nation’.
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The Grand Canyon National Park – which is nothing to do with the skywalk – is said to be the most dangerous of all of the parks in the US.
A Freedom of Information request obtained by the New York Post says that as many as six people have died in the park in the last five years, and 56 more people have gone missing within the park.
That period between 2018 and February of this year saw the Grand Canyon National Park well ahead of other national parks, despite having significantly less visitors than many of them.
The report also says that about 1,100 missing persons were also filed, with most of those people being found.
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In that same period, four people each died at other sites such Yosemite, Golden Gate Park and Death Valley, which straddles California and Nevada.
Behind the Grand Canyon National Park in terms of missing person reports was Olympic National Park in Washington state.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123
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For US readers, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org
Topics: US News
Tom Wood