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Elderly Man’s Death In Watery Mishap Marks Five Fatalities At National Park In Recent Weeks

US CLIMATE DROUGHT

(Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Ilan Hulkower Contributor
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An 80-year-old man died Sunday at the Grand Canyon National Park after his boat flipped over at a rapid in the Colorado River, a National Park Service (NPS) press release reads.

The tour group the elderly man was with and park rangers unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate him, according to the press release. (RELATED: Bystanders Find Dying Man At Death Valley National Park, Officials Announce)

The NPS and the Coconino County Medical Examiner have opened an investigation, park authorities say. The 80-year-old’s death marked the fifth official fatality at the national park in less than a month, according to officials.

Chenoa Nickerson’s body was discovered by visitors’ group Sunday, according to park officials, according to the NPS. The 33-year-old had been missing for several days since a flash flood swept her away some 20 miles from where her body was located, CBS News noted. The NPS located the body of Leticia Castillo, 20, on Aug. 6 “following a multi-day search,” according to a press release. Castillo was thought to have entered the park around Aug. 3.

Authorities discovered the body of an unnamed male BASE jumper at the park on Aug. 1, the day they had received information indicating someone had made a jump attempt, a press release reads. The body was found with “a deployed parachute” around 500 feet “below the rim.”

“BASE jumping, a high-risk activity involving parachuting from fixed objects, is prohibited in all areas of Grand Canyon National Park,” the NPS warns.

Abel Joseph Mejia, a 20-year-old college student, was found dead after he fell 400 feet on July 31, according to authorities. “In this specific area, this individual was hiking off trail which is a pretty common place occurrence for a lot of our visitors here,” Grand Canyon National Park public affairs officer Joelle Baird told CBS News.

A total of 13 people have perished at the park since 2024 began, data obtained from NPS officials showed, according to 12 News. An average of 12 people are killed at the park each year, the outlet noted.