A thrill-seeker tried to illegally base jump from the rim of the Grand Canyon and plummeted 500 feet to his death, according to the National Parks Service.
The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center responded to a report of a visitor who had jumped from Yavapai Point on the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park around 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
Park rangers arrived at the scene and found the man dead 500 feet below the edge next to a deployed parachute, Parks officials said.
Rescue teams were able to retrieve the victim by helicopter on Friday morning. The man’s body was taken to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the manner of death.
The victim’s name is being withheld pending positive identification.
No additional information is available at this time, the National Parks Service said.
The high-risk activity derives from the acronym BASE, which stands for four categories of fixed objects from which a person can jump: buildings, aerials, spans and ground.
Base jumping is strictly prohibited in all areas of Grand Canyon National Park, officials stressed.
On Wednesday, a North Carolina man fell 400 feet to his death near a scenic area in the Grand Canyon’s South Rim.
They said the body of Abel Joseph Mejia, 20, of Hickory, was later recovered about a quarter mile from the overlook.
Park officials said Mejia accidentally fell while near the edge of the rim.
On average, 11 people die each year at the Grand Canyon, according to mortality data from the National Park Service.