NEED TO KNOW
- A person has died after falling 150 feet to the ground from a steep rock formation in Colorado
- The individual, whose identity and gender has not yet been made public, died on July 24
- “Our hearts are with the victim’s loved ones during this incredibly painful time,” rescuers said
A person has died after falling 150 feet to the ground from a steep rock formation in Colorado, authorities said.
On Thursday, July 24, the Elk Creek Fire Department — located in Jefferson County, about a 30-mile drive southwest from Denver — was called to a cliffside area near the town’s Eagle Gate and Pine Valley roads at around 11 a.m. local time.
The person, whose identity and gender has not yet been made public, fell “approximately 150 feet from a steep rock face, with a significant portion of the fall being a free fall,” the fire department said in a statement shared on Facebook.
Elk Creek Fire spokeswoman Bethany Urban told the Denver Post that authorities are still determining whether the person was on private or public property. Investigators are also unsure what they were doing prior to the fall.
“It was a recovery, unfortunately, not a rescue,” Urban told the outlet.
“Our crews carried out a difficult high angle rope recovery operation with the support of Conifer Fire, Alpine Rescue Team, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. We are deeply grateful for their assistance in such challenging conditions,” the fire department wrote in its social media statement.
“Our hearts are with the victim’s loved ones during this incredibly painful time,” the organization added.
Photos from the scene of the incident show rescue officials performing a recovery mission by using ropes to climb up and down the steep rock ledge.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Sunday, July 27.
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The individual’s death comes just days after a hiker fell nearly 200 feet down a snowfield in the state.
According to KRDO and the Denver Gazette, the Alpine Rescue Team found that person after they fell and sustained serious injuries near Saint Mary’s Glacier at around noon on Wednesday, July 23.
Deputies from the Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office, local medical and fire officials also responded to the scene, and the individual was then transported via helicopter to a local hospital.
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