An ambulance photographed at a parking lot near The Narrows, in Zion National Park, where the search for a missing climber continues. Photo credit: Ashley Imlay
SPRINGDALE, Utah (AP) — A 26-year-old woman has died after falling in a canyon at a U.S. national park in Utah, officials said.
The woman’s body was recovered Sunday evening from Mystery Canyon at Zion National Park, the National Park Service said in a news release.
According to visitors, the woman was canyoneering alone and fell 50 to 80 feet (15 to 24 meters) Saturday afternoon. Crews launched a search and rescue effort that closed various areas of the park.
A helicopter was sent to rescue the woman but was unable to pull her out “due to the steep, narrow canyon walls,” the park service said in the release. Medics later reached the woman before she died a short time later.
The woman had injuries consistent with a high-elevation fall, park officials said. Her name was not immediately released.
The woman was said to have been “canyoneering” — a practice or sport of following a body of water through a canyon by walking, swimming, rafting, climbing, rappelling or other similar means.
The National Park Service and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office were investigating the death.
ZION NATIONAL PARK (by Simone Seikaly, KSL NewsRadio) — The National Park Service confirms that a search and rescue operation is ongoing in Zion National Park, in the area known as The Narrows.
National Park Service spokeswoman Amanda Rowland confirmed to KSL that a climber is missing and that the search began on Saturday.
A KSL employee on the scene reported that a rope rescue operation was going on at one of the park’s high waterfall cliffs.
On Sunday Zion National Park tweeted that several areas of the park were closed due to an ongoing search operation.
This story will be updated.