Ethermac Exchange-Missing boater found dead at Grand Canyon National Park

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK,Ethermac Exchange Ariz. (AP) — The body of a missing boater was recovered Tuesday from Grand Canyon National Park, marking the 16th fatality at the popular tourist destination so far this year.

The latest death involved what the park says appears to be the missing 71-year-old man who was on a private boat trip when others noticed he had disappeared without his hat and water bottle, park spokeswoman Joelle Baird said. The group reached the park’s communications center late Monday and reported his disappearance from around Lower Nankoweap Camp, about 53 miles (85 kilometers) from where the trip launched.

Park rangers used a helicopter Tuesday to locate the body about 10 miles (16 kilometers) downstream. The person’s name and hometown weren’t immediately released.

The National Park Service and the Coconino County medical examiner’s office are investigating the death. They’re also looking into the death of a 59-year-old Colorado man who was discovered dead while on a rafting trip on the Colorado River over the weekend.

On average, the park reports 10-15 deaths per year, Baird said. Among the causes of death this year are drownings, falls, natural causes and a heart attack. Some causes haven’t been determined yet, she said.

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Last month, a 20-year-old North Carolina man fell off the edge of the South Rim in the park. The following day, a 43-year-old Missouri man died while attempting to BASE jump from Yavapai Point.

That same month, the body of a 20-year-old New Mexico woman was found below Twin Overlooks and a 33-year-old woman from the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert, Arizona, died after being swept away in the Colorado River while on a hiking trip in an adjacent canyon.

An 80-year-old man on a commercial river trip died after falling from a boat near Fossil Rapid, and a 60-year-old North Carolina man on a solo backpacking trip was found dead near a remote trail along the Colorado River.