The Grand Canyon Skywalk at eagle point projects 20m over the gorge.
The Grand Canyon Skywalk at eagle point projects 20m over the gorge.
The search is underway for the body of a tourist who climbed the safety barrier at the Grand Canyon Skywalk before apparently jumping to his death.
According to USA Today, the 28-year-old tourist was visiting the popular attraction on the Hualapai Indian Reservation at around 4.30 pm on Saturday.
GrandCanyon West says that recovery efforts began on Sunday but are still looking for the tourist's body.
Skywalk, a large, glass-bottomed, horseshoe-shaped walkway, extends 70 feet over the Grand Canyon with views over the Colorado River below. The drop is over 240 metres and certainly fatal.
A spokesman for the attraction, David Leibowitz told USA TODAY that "our hearts are with everyone impacted: The family of the man who took his own life, our guests and the Grand Canyon West employees on duty Saturday."
The landmark has already been the site of another tourist death this year. In March a tourist from Hong Kong reportedly stumbled and fell to his death while trying to take a photo.
Skywalk: Another tourist fell to his death at the site, earlier this year. Photo / Supplied
According to park services, around 12 people die a year in Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park.
Although most of these can be attributed to heat exhaustion and drowning, a review has been called into the safety of attractions like the Skywalk which invite tourists over the precipice.
"We will explore whether new policies and more security in addition to our extensive Skywalk safety barriers might be used to make Grand Canyon West even safer than it is today. Having said that, nearly 10 million guests have visited Grand Canyon West since 2007 and this is the first such incident involving Skywalk in all that time," Leibowitz told USA Today.
WHERE TO GET HELP:
If you are worried about your or someone else's mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call 111.
If you need to talk to someone, the following free helplines operate 24/7:
DEPRESSION HELPLINE: 0800 111 757 LIFELINE: 0800 543 354 NEED TO TALK? Call or text 1737 SAMARITANS: 0800 726 666 YOUTHLINE: 0800 376 633 or text 234
There are lots of places to get support. For others, click here.
