Grand Canyon death: Body recovered after man falls over South Rim

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK -- Another visitor has died at Grand Canyon National Park after a man fell 400 feet (122 meters) over the South Rim, authorities said Thursday.

Park rangers responded to a call shortly before noon Wednesday that someone had fallen over the rim. The park's helicopter and technical rescue team recovered the body of a 67-year-old man.

The name and hometown of the man wasn't immediately available.

The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner are investigating the death, park officials said.

A spokeswoman said it was the first over-the-edge death this year at Grand Canyon National Park, which had 17 fatalities last year.

Two people died at the Grand Canyon late last month in separate incidents that included one man stumbling over the edge of the rim while trying to take pictures at Grand Canyon West, a popular tourist destination on the Hualapai reservation outside the boundaries of the national park.

Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S., drawing nearly 6.4 million visitors last year. Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai reservation gets about 1 million visitors annually.