Japanese tourist dies hiking at Grand Canyon in hot weather
PHOENIX (Reuters) - A 36-year-old Japanese tourist has died from apparent heat-related complications while hiking at Grand Canyon National Park amid scorching temperatures, a park official said on Friday.
The man, whose name was not immediately released, died after trying to make his way back out from the bottom of the canyon along the popular Bright Angel Trail with a small group on Thursday, said park spokeswoman Emily Davis.
Temperatures on the trail at the time exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius), and an excessive heat warning had been issued by the National Weather Service, Davis said.
Authorities said a park ranger was called to the scene at about 3:45 p.m. on Thursday by members of the hiking group who told the ranger the man needed help. By the time helped arrived, the man had had no pulse for two hours and efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
Davis said the man was found at a spot known as the Devil's Corkscrew, the first switch-back he would have encountered on his way out of the crimson-hued gorge.
The incident is the fifth confirmed fatality at the park this year.
On May 26, an 82-year-old California man died from unknown causes after he fell unconscious outside the visitor center at the park's South Rim.
The canyon is one of the world's most frequented outdoor tourist venues, attracting more than 4.7 million visitors in 2014.
(Reporting by David Schwartz; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler)
