A BASE jumper has died after leaping from a peak in Utah's Zion National Park, known for its sandstone cliffs and narrow canyons, in the second such death there in less than two months, the U.S. National Park Service said on Monday, according to the Associated Press.
The man's body, which was spotted by a helicopter crew, was in steep, difficult terrain where canyon crosswinds restrict the use of aircraft, the park service said, the AP reported. It could take several days to retrieve it, they said.
Park officials said they were alerted Sunday morning that a BASE jumper was overdue, according to the AP. A search team is expected to attempt to retrieve the body on Tuesday by climbing and rappelling to its location near West Temple, a peak near the southern end of the park, park service spokeswoman Alyssa Baltrus said. A helicopter will be used if conditions allow.
It's not clear how many BASE jumps occur in the park, although most take place away from Zion's main canyon, Baltrus said, the AP reported. Park officers investigate all reported jumping activity and issue tickets to those caught, she said.
It was not immediately clear when the man attempted the leap, according to the AP.
Officials are waiting to recover the body and make a positive identification before releasing the BASE jumper's name, Baltrus said, the AP reported.
Last month, a 28-year-old Salt Lake City newlywed, Amber Bellows, died after attempting a jump from Zion's Mount Kinesava, according to the AP.
The woman's husband told authorities her parachute failed to open and she fell about 2,000 feet, the AP reported. Her death was the park's first BASE jumping fatality, park officials have said.
Also in Utah on Friday, a 35-year-old Moab man died in a BASE jumping accident after attempting a jump from a cliff west of that city in southeastern Utah, Grand County authorities said, according to the AP.
