Two People Fall To Their Deaths At Arches National Park In Utah
Dec. 1 2019, Updated 11:23 p.m. ET
Two people fell to their deaths while hiking in Utah's famed Arches National Park.
They came to a gruesome end when they fell near the tourist attraction called Delicate Arch in the park.
The man, 65, and woman, 60, plunged into the lower bowl area below the arch at about 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 29. A 30-year-old man was also injured and airlifted to the hospital, according to the Grand County Sheriff's Office.
Chief Ranger Scott Brown said the three people were related.
KUTV reported that they were all from California.
None of their names have yet been released.
The trail to Delicate Arch was closed for a few hours, and after it reopened, the park said on Twitter, "Winter conditions make for slippery hiking; proceed with caution."
Chief Ranger Brown told KSL-TV that the cause of the falls is still unknown, but said that the hiking trail was wet and slick at the time.
The incident is being investigated.
They weren't the only falling deaths from around the Thanksgiving holiday.
Brad Gobright, 31, one of the world's most acclaimed rock climbers, died after falling 1,000 feet off a mountain in Mexico on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The famous "free solo" rock climber and California native was at El Portero Chico, a popular climbing destination, with fellow American climber Aidan Jacobson when the two attempted to go down the side of a cliff face at about 3:30 pm, state police Civil Protection Nuevo León said.
According to the Nuevo Leon Civil Protection Authority, both men fell, but Jacobson, 26, was saved by a ledge which he used to stop himself. He sustained non-life threatening injuries and was assisted by members of law enforcement, rescuers and other climbers, who all helped him make it the rest of the way down.
Gobright, on the other hand, hit a ledge, continued past it and fell to his death.
The athlete was known for climbing without assistance from ropes, harnesses and other protective equipment, but both he and survivor Jacobson were reportedly using 80 meter ropes at the time of the tragic accident.
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However, the men didn't tie knots in the ends, according to Rock & Ice, an outlet dedicated to climbing.
Following the news of his death, Alice Hafer, Gobright's rock climbing friend, shared a tribute to him on social media, writing, "I don't really know how to believe this or what to say. My good friend and best climbing partner I've ever had, @bradgobright is no longer with us."
