Woman falls to her death at Grand Canyon

A tourist on Tuesday fell to her death in Grand Canyon National Park, becoming the second person this year to do so, authorities said.

Park rangers received a call Tuesday afternoon about someone needing help at the South Rim, but by the time help could arrive the person had fallen, according to a press release from the National Park Service.

A rescue team of about 15 people used the park’s helicopter to locate and recover the body of a 70-year-old woman some 200 feet below the rim. The woman’s name won’t be released until her relatives have been notified, according to the National Park Service.

It’s unclear how the woman fell.

“Park staff encourages all visitors to have a safe visit 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 National Park Service said in a statement Tuesday.

The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular national parks in the United States, boasting some 6 million visitors a year.

In 2017, there were a total of 1,135 emergency medical service incidents, 290 search and rescue incidents and 20 overall fatalities that occurred inside the Grand Canyon, according to park statistics. Over-the-edge deaths are considered rare.

A 67-year-old man fell about 400 feet from the South Rim and died on April 3.

A tourist from Hong Kong died falling into the canyon on the Hualapai reservation, just outside the park’s boundaries, on March 28. He was taking a photo at the time, authorities said.