An Arizona woman fell to her death while hiking and taking photos at Grand Canyon National Park on Friday.
According to a press release from the park, the Scottsdale native was hiking off-trail, attempting to take photos with family, when she slipped off the edge of Mather Point.
The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Centre was alerted to the incident at about 12:35 p.m. on Friday. Not long after, park rangers found the body of Maria Salgado Lopez, 59, around 30.5 metres below the rim.
“An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office,” says the release, which was issued July 4.
“Grand Canyon National Park staff encourage all visitors to have a safe visit this holiday weekend by staying on designated trails and walkways, always keeping a safe distance from the edge of the rim, and staying behind railings and fences at overlooks,” the park said.
The Grand Canyon reopened its North and South rims in early June after being shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, ABC News reports.
This is the second death at the tourist site in recent weeks. A California woman, 49, died of heat exposure on June 24, the ABC report says, after planning to spend the night with friends and her husband at Phantom Ranch inside the canyon.
Two people died by falling off a canyon ledge in March 2019, CBS News reports. In one incident, a man stumbled over the edge while taking pictures at Grand Canyon West. In the other, a body was found in a wooded area near Grand Canyon Village.
A month later, a third visitor fell 121 metres over the South Rim.
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