North Carolina hiker's death is believed to the 6th in a month at Grand Canyon National Park

A North Carolina man was found dead Wednesday in Grand Canyon National Park near a remote trail along the Colorado River after his family reported him missing the day before, officials said.

The National Park Service, along with a search and rescue team, said in a news release Thursday they found the deceased 60-year-old man Wednesday morning along a route connecting Lower Tapeats Camp and Deer Creek Camp.

The man was on a solo multi-day backpacking trip, according to the park service.

The man was first reported missing at around 4 p.m. Tuesday, when the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center was made aware of a backpacker who was attempting to hike the Thunder River Trail-Deer Creek loop and hadn’t checked in with family since he set out, the park service said.

The National Park Service and Coconino County Medical Examiner are investigating the death.

The man is believed to be the sixth person to die at the park in a month, and at least 10 people have died so far at the park this year, according to previous releases and mortality data from the National Park Service.

Three people were found dead within a week this summer — one person fell to their death on July 31, a BASE jumper was found on Aug. 2, and a third person was found on Aug. 3.

On Sunday, the body of a woman who was swept away in flash flooding was recovered and an 80-year-old man died after his boat flipped in the Colorado River.

Park officials reported 11 fatalities in 2023 and say there are usually about 10 to 15 deaths per year, according to the Associated Press.