Photo: Jim Mallouk / Moment / Getty Images
The body of a missing 71-year-old boater was recovered from the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park on Tuesday (September 10), marking the 16th fatality at the popular tourist destination this year. The man, whose name and hometown have not been released, was on a private boat trip when he disappeared without his hat and water bottle. His disappearance was reported to the park's communications center late Monday from around Lower Nankoweap Camp, about 53 miles from where the trip launched. Park rangers used a helicopter on Tuesday to locate the body about 10 miles downstream.
The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the death. They are also looking into the death of a 59-year-old Colorado man who was discovered dead while on a rafting trip on the Colorado River over the weekend.
On average, the park reports 10-15 deaths per year, according to park spokeswoman Joelle Baird. Among the causes of death this year are drownings, falls, natural causes, and a heart attack. Some causes have not yet been determined.
Last month, a 20-year-old North Carolina man fell off the edge of the South Rim in the park. The following day, a 43-year-old Missouri man died while attempting to BASE jump from Yavapai Point. That same month, the body of a 20-year-old New Mexico woman was found below Twin Overlooks, and a 33-year-old woman from the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert, Arizona, died after being swept away in the Colorado River while on a hiking trip in an adjacent canyon.
An 80-year-old man on a commercial river trip died after falling from a boat near Fossil Rapid, and a 60-year-old North Carolina man on a solo backpacking trip was found dead near a remote trail along the Colorado River.