Responders manage a high angle technical rescue system on July 31, 2024/NPS, K.Ross

A 20-year-old North Carolina man fell from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park about 400 feet to his death.

A park release said the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center was contacted shortly before 11 a.m. on Wednesday that a visitor fell from the rim approximately a quarter-mile west of Pipe Creek Overlook. Responding rangers located the body of Abel Joseph Mejia, 20, of Hickory, North Carolina 400 feet below the rim.

The release said Mejia was near the edge of the rim when he accidentally fell. An investigation into the incident was being conducted by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office. 

The Pipe Creek Vista provides access to sweeping canyon views. Not all areas near the overlook have railings, and park officials recommend you stay at least six feet from the edge of the rim.