Hong Kong tourist dies in fall at Grand Canyon

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS MARCH 28, 2019 / 6:54 PM / UPDATED 5 HOURS AGO

Hong Kong tourist dies in fall at Grand Canyon

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A Hong Kong tourist plunged to his death on Thursday after slipping over a ledge while taking photographs at a Grand Canyon lookout, a tour operator said.

The tourist, believed to be in his 50s, was taking photos during a mid-morning stop at the Eagle Point overlook on land owned by the Hualapai tribe when he slipped and fell, said David Leibowitz, spokesman for Grand Canyon West, a company that operates attractions in the area.

He is presumed dead and rescuers were trying to recover the body late on Thursday afternoon, Leibowitz said. The tourist’s name was not immediately released.

The man was part of a tour group visiting Grand Canyon West, a popular area that includes the horseshoe-shaped, glass Skywalk that juts out from the canyon wall and offers a look into the canyon some 4,000 feet below. It is west of the Grand Canyon National Park.

Reporting by David Schwartz; editing by Bill Tarrant and James Dalgleish

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-grand-canyon-death/hong-kong-tourist-dies-in-fall-at-grand-canyon-idUSKCN1R92UY

[jberryhill]

1. That's unfortunate

https://www.mygrandcanyonpark.com/park/falling-to-death-grand-canyon

About 12 deaths happen each year at the Grand Canyon, including from natural causes, medical problems, suicide, heat, drowning and traffic crashes. On average, two to three deaths per year are from falls over the rim, park spokeswoman Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski says. Grand Canyon National Park had 6,254,238 million visitors in 2017.

[dalton99a]

2. 259 people reported dead seeking the perfect picture

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-45745982

The quest for extreme selfies killed 259 people between 2011 and 2017, a 2018 global study has revealed.

Researchers at the US National Library of Medicine recommend that 'no selfie zones' should be introduced at dangerous spots to reduce deaths.

These would include the tops of mountains, tall buildings and lakes, where many of the deaths occurred.

Drowning, transport accidents and falling were found to be the most common cause of death.


This selfie-taker risked her life on someone's shoulders at the top of a 180 metre high disused chimney in Romania

[Raine]

3. "Take a picture it'll last longer" people would make that snarky comment when

someone was staring at them but now that picture (if recovered) will last longer then the picturer taker's life. I would rather enjoy the moment and take in the experience and the beauty then try to get the perfect picture. I learned that the hard way when I was on a trip and spent most of the time setting up the "perfect" pictures. After I got home home I discovered that the camera battery was dead and I had no pictures (served me right).

[JI7]

5. this will just happen more and more because of competition on Social MEdia