College student falls 400 feet to his death in Grand Canyon

Aug. 2 (UPI) -- A college student visiting the Grand Canyon is dead after suffering what park rangers described as an "accidental fall."

Abel Joseph Mejia, 20, of Hickory, N.C., had been standing near the edge of the Grand Canyon rim about a quarter mile west of the scenic Pipe Creek Overlook when he fell Wednesday morning.

Park rangers received a report of the incident at about 10:40 a.m. that day, and located his body about 400 feet below the canyon's rim.

"An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office," National Park Services said in a statement Thursday.

The Indiana Bible College of Indianapolis identified Mejia as a student known for his "warm smile and gentle spirit."

"We feel deep sadness due to the tragic loss of one of our students, Abel Mejia. Abel lost his life yesterday in an accident while visiting the Grand Canyon," the school said in a statement on Facebook. "His absence will be deeply felt by all who knew him."

According to park statistics , there were 103 deaths in Grand Canyon National Park between 2014 and 2019. Fourteen of them were caused by falls.

"Grand Canyon National Park staff encourage all visitors to have a safe visit by staying on designated trails and walkways, always keeping a safe distance of at least six feet from the edge of the rim and staying behind railings and fences at overlooks," the park said.