MT. CARMEL, Kane County — A New Hampshire man died Sunday while rappelling in Eaglestead Hollow near Zion National Park.
The 38-year-old man, whose name was not released, was hiking with four siblings down Eaglestead Hollow, which includes a series of rappels, and then planned on going through the Narrows in Zion. He was on the first rappel, which is about 300 feet in length, just before 11 a.m. when the incident occurred.
"For some unknown reason, the individual fell the last 80 feet to the rocky canyon below," the Kane County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter was in Garfield County and responded to the area. One crew member with a hoist was able to clear some trees to allow the helicopter to land. A nurse from Kanab's Classic Aviation was then flown to the cliff where the family had been rappeling, the sheriff's office said.
The chopper then shuttled in two rope team members from the sheriff's office who rappeled to the injured man along with other medical personnel. While another rope team from Zion National Park was en route, the man died from his injuries, sheriff's officials said.
The Zion crew extracted the family members and crews from out of the canyon.
It was the second time in nine days that Kane County search and rescue crews responded to the area. On Aug. 25, crews responded to nearby Birch Hollow after a man fell 100 feet while rappeling. He survived his injuries after spending the night with in the canyon with the rescue crew.
"These areas are remote and require a lot of technical expertise," the sheriff's office said.