Man dies parachuting on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. (AP) — A man died at Grand Canyon National Park after attempting the high-risk parachute leap from Yavapai Point on the South Rim, the park said Friday.

The park did not name the person who died Thursday morning because it was still awaiting positive identification and needed to notify his family.

The jump attempt had been reported to the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center. Park rangers were able to recover the man’s body about 500 feet (15.4 meters) below the rim early Friday, along with a deployed parachute.

The body was transported to the rim by helicopter and subsequently taken to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The National Park Service and the medical examiner’s office are conducting an investigation into what happened.

BASE jumping is a high-risk activity involving parachuting from fixed objects and illegal throughout Grand Canyon National Park.