Second Death in Weeks on Popular Grand Canyon Trail

The park is baking under searing heat.

A 50-year-old Texas man died Sunday during a hike in Grand Canyon National Park, according to park officials. He is the second person to die on the trail in just the last few weeks. 

According to a press release from Grand Canyon National Park's Office of Communications, the park received report of an unresponsive hiker on the Bright Angel Trail around 2 p.m. local time. He was about 100 feet below the trailhead. 

Bystanders attempted to administer CPR before Xanterra Fire and Security and National Park Service medical personnel arrived. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. The man, from San Angelo, TX, was returning from an overnight stay at the nearby Havasupai Gardens, a popular park destination.

The tragedy comes just weeks after another death on the same trail. On June 16, a 41-year-old man was found unresponsive about a half-mile east of the Pipe Creek River Resthouse. A 69-year-old Texas man also died at the bottom of the canyon on June 29.

While the Texas hiker's cause of death has yet to be determined, it comes amidst searing heat at the National Park. Just last week, officials issued a heat advisory and advised hikers not to go below the canyon's rim while it was in effect. Temperatures inside the Grand Canyon typically increase drastically compared to the rim, where most hikers begin their journey. Temperatures in the park have hit 111 degrees this week.