A 53-year-old Alberta man is dead after falling from the edge of the gorge near the Sicamous Creek Falls.

Sgt. Murray McNeil of the Sicamous RCMP said the man, a Sherwood Park resident, was hiking with a family member shortly before noon on July 29 when he fell into the gorge below. McNeil said the RCMP鈥檚 investigation indicates the man left the marked trail to get closer to the edge.

Shuswap Search and Rescue assisted with the recovery of the man鈥檚 body.

鈥淒ue to the rough terrain and the narrow trails, the body had to be removed with the long lines and the expertise of the Search and Rescue people,鈥� McNeil said.

The Sicamous Fire Department and the Eagle Valley Rescue Society unit assisted with the rescue. The Coroner鈥檚 service was also on the scene.

The death of the Alberta man marks the second time in three months that someone has suffered a fatal fall from the area above the waterfall. On May 15 a 27-year-old man fell from the cliff above the falls.

鈥淭his is the second occurrence in a year so we鈥檇 like to remind everyone to remain on the marked trail and, of course, there is significant danger when approaching the cliff side when off trail at that location,鈥� McNeil said.

John Schut, a search manager for the Shuswap Search and Rescue, said the July 29 incident occurred very close to where the man fell in May. Schut said the area where the man fell from has sandy soil which can easily cause a loss of footing, and only widely-spaced trees to stop someone from tumbling over the cliff edge.

Schut said in both incidents, the victims were rcovered by Search and Rescue volunteers using long lines anchored at the top of the canyon. He said there is a trail at the bottom of the canyon but it is too narrow for a safe recovery.

jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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