“It was a pretty horrific accident. A very tough situation,” regional park manager Chris Gilliand told the Journal.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team led the recovery efforts. No further details have been released.
The tragedy is the latest serious incident at South Falls. In 2020, a teenager was injured after attempting to dive from the waterfall, while other accidents in the area have previously proved fatal.
South Falls forms part of the state park’s Trail of Ten Falls, according to Oregon State Parks, a nationally recognised hiking route that winds through dense forest and a rugged canyon landscape. The trail links a series of waterfalls before descending to a creek on the valley floor.
The incident comes just weeks after three members of the same family, including a child, died after falling from Germany’s tallest observation tower in the Harz Mountains, Metro UK reported.
The victims were found at the base of the 65m timber-and-steel structure, which features two viewing platforms and a glass-floored skywalk suspended 45m above the ground.
