The body of a missing boater was discovered along the Colorado River in the heart of the Grand Canyon this week, the 16th person to die in the national park this year, reports said.
Park rangers received a call around 9:15 a.m. on Monday reporting a missing boater in the area of Lower Nankoweap Camp along the Colorado River, according to a Grand Canyon National Park news release.
The body of a 71-year-old man was found in the river Tuesday by park rangers in a helicopter, the park said. Initial information suggests the body was that of the missing boater, according to the release.
The man was on a private boat trip when other boaters noticed he vanished without his hat and water bottle, park spokesperson Joelle Baird told CBS News. The group contacted the park’s communications center and reported the man missing, she said.
The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner are investigating the man’s death, according to the release.
Grand Canyon National Park averages 10 to 15 deaths a year
The Grand Canyon’s average number of reported deaths a year is 10 to 15, said Baird, according to CBS News. Among the causes of death are drownings, falls, natural causes and heart attacks, she said, and some causes have not yet been determined.
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