An 18-year-old student from Virginia Commonwealth University died Tuesday when she fell from a rock outcrop in the San Juan National Forest, La Plata County officials said.
The unidentified woman died instantly from the 200-foot fall in the Weminuche Wilderness area, officials said.
It is unclear why she was climbing the rocks or if she was utilizing safety equipment.
The woman was with other students on a four-day hike as part of the university’s outdoor activities program, officials said.
The first notification of the accident came at 8:03 a.m. when the Durango-La Plata Emergency Communications Center received a distress call from a GPS enabled personal locator beacon.
The woman’s body was recovered and brought to Durango by La Plata County Search and Rescue, officials said.
The rest of the students were assisted out of the area by personnel from the Outdoor Pursuits program at Fort Lewis College, officials said.
“This will have a tragic impact not only to the young woman’s family, but also to Virginia Commonwealth University and their Outdoor Activities Program,” Tom McNamara, member of La Plata County Emergency Management, said in a news release.
This incident marks the second fatality in that region this summer. Martin Pigeon died July 7after a fall in the Chicago Basin, officials said.
Ryan Parker: 303-954-2409, rparker@denverpost.com or
