20-year-old student dies after falling 120 meters in park

An American student died, after falling 120 meters from a viewpoint at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona on Wednesday, July 31, American media including CBS News reported.

The 20-year-old was very close to the edge when he accidentally fell.

“This individual was walking off trail,” said the head of public affairs for the National Parks Department. His body was discovered during the day a few hundred meters from the Pipe Creek viewpoint.

A North Carolina native, he was a student in Indianapolis. “He was known for his warm smile and gentle spirit, and his loss will be deeply felt by all who knew him,” the university wrote on Facebook.

An investigation has been opened by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office, the National Park Service said in a statement. “No additional information is available at this time,” it said.