Hiker Dead After Grand Canyon Fall

The body of a Nevada man who fell about 400 feet off the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park to his death was recovered yesterday. Juan Carreras-Soto, 29, of Las Vegas, was visiting the park with his family on Thursday when he fell from the rim trail east of Mather Point about 4:20pm. The fall has been ruled accidental, although it remains under investigation, park officials said. It was the second fatality so far this year at the Grand Canyon. A 73-year-old man died in February after collapsing while hiking near the North Kaibab Trail.

Park statistics show that nearly 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon each year and an average of 12 people die there annually. An average of two or three deaths per year are from falls over the rim. Last year, park officials said there were 24 fatalities at the Grand Canyon, including two people who fell over the rim, two suicides, three drownings on river trips, one death in a car accident, and the rest from either natural causes or medical distress. (More Grand Canyon National Park stories.)