PHOENIX, United States (AFP) — A four-year-old girl plunged to her death after falling from the rim of the Grand Canyon, according to park officials Wednesday.
The Arizona girl was the second-youngest person to die from an accidental fall from the canyon rim, according to experts.
The girl fell 450 feet (150 meters) about early Tuesday from Mather Point on the South Rim, one of the park's most popular overlooks. There are no guard rails in the spot where the girl fell.
"Her father immediately went down after her and began administering CPR," said Maureen Oltrogge, spokeswoman for Grand Canyon National Park. The girl was pronounced dead on the scene by medical crews. "It's being investigated as an accident," Oltrogge said.
The incident was the second fatal fall from the canyon rim this year, according to Oltrogge. The first occurred in August.
An average of two to three people die from accidental falls into the canyon every year, said Oltrogge, who has been park spokeswoman for 20 years.
The youngest death on record was a one year-old who died along with his five year-old brother in 1958 when the family sedan rolled off an overlook as the adults stood nearby, according to "Over The Edge: Death In Grand Canyon," a comprehensive volume of all known fatalities in the national park.
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