A tourist from Hong Kong fell to his death into the Grand Canyon in Arizona as he was taking photos near the famous Skywalk attraction.
The man, whose identity has not been released, died after stumbling and falling about 305 meters (1,000 feet) on Thursday morning, according to the Associated Press.
Park spokesman David Leibowitz revealed that the man was part of a tour group, which visited the popular tourist spot on the Hualapai reservation situated just outside the boundaries of the national park. Leibowitz also extended the tribe’s prayers to the victim’s family.
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The man in his 50s was trying to take photographs when he fell at nearby Eagle Point, Leibowitz said. His body was airlifted by a helicopter out of the canyon on Thursday afternoon.
Among the most popular tourist destinations in the US, the Grand Canyon drew almost 6.4 million visitors last year. The Hualapai reservation includes a roughly 161km (100-mile) stretch of the Grand Canyon at its western edge.
The Skywalk is a glass bridge shaped like a horseshoe extending out from the canyon wall, with a sheer drop of 1,200 meters (4,000 feet). While its rim has some ledges and outcroppings below, there is no barrier between tourists and the drop into the canyon. There are, however, signs at Eagle Point that warn tourists to not get too close to the edge.
Featured image via Pixabay/Bishnu Sarangi
