33-year-old man falls to his death off of Grand Canyon Skywalk

An unidentified 33-year-old man fell to his death after he “went over the edge” of the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a 4,000-feet-high (1,200 metres) glass walkway that has become a popular tourist attraction.

The incident occurred on June 5 around 9 a.m. local time when a technical rope rescue team responded to the Skywalk, according to a statement from the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue.

With a helicopter assisting the recovery, two rope specialists determined the man had died and recovered his body. The body was then transferred to the Hualapai Nation, which owns and operates the Skywalk.

It’s not yet clear if the death was accidental, though the Mohave County Sheriff’s statement included the U.S.’s National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which can be reached at 1-800-273-TALK.

The Skywalk is located just outside Grand Canyon National Park in the Hualapai Reservation. The glass walkway extends in a horseshoe shape about 70 feet (21 metres) over the canyon’s rim and has been visited by over 10 million people since it opened in 2007.

According to former search and rescue worker Ken Phillips, the Grand Canyon sees about 12 deaths per year due to heat stroke, lightning, drownings, air crashes, suicides, accidental falls and other causes.

The Grand Canyon National Park provides a number of tips on its website on how to view the canyon safely, including staying on designated walkways, not climbing over barriers and staying at least two metres away from the edge of the rim at all times.

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If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help. 

For a directory of support services in your area, visit the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. 

Learn more about how to help someone in crisis. 

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