YELLOWSTONE — 18-year old Maria “Masha” Sergeyevna Rumyantseva of Kaliningrad, Russia died Thursday in an accidental fall near Inspiration Point in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
The woman, a Yellowstone concession employee on her first day in the park, was hiking the canyon’s North Rim Trail with three other acquaintances when she ventured off the trail onto a loose rock promontory, which gave way underneath her.
Park rangers responded to a 911 call received at 5:44 p.m. reporting a woman had fallen into the canyon. With the assistance of ground spotters and a Teton Interagency helicopter, rangers found the woman’s body approximately 400 feet down the canyon wall. They concluded she had sustained non-survivable injuries. Her body was recovered on June 8.
The accident remains under investigation.
Visitors are reminded that hiking close to canyon rims in the park is extremely dangerous. Staying on posted, designated canyon rim trails is a must due to the instability of loose dirt and rock near ledges.
