A 25-year-old man has died after jumping from a popular waterfall in Arizona and getting pulled under by the waters below.
Search and rescue teams responded to a report of a drowning at the Fossil Creek Lower Waterfalls, located within the Coconino National Forest near Sedona, at noon Sunday, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office said.
Witnesses told authorities that the man jumped about 15 feet before resurfacing at the bottom of the waterfall. He reportedly gave a thumbs-up and continued to swim.
Soon after, he “swam underneath the waterfall and became submerged,” the sheriff’s office said.
The man, identified by authorities as Wei-Jie Lin of Taiwan, had been underwater for more than 10 minutes before bystanders were able to pull him out.
Bystanders gave him CPR but he did not regain consciousness, authorities said.
The Fossil Creek Waterfalls are located within the Coconino National Forest just outside of Camp Verde, a town known for its outdoor recreation along the Verde River.
Fossil Creek is one of two “wild and scenic” rivers in Arizona, gushing 20,000 gallons a minute from a series of springs at the bottom of a 1,600-foot canyon, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The Fossil Creek Waterfall is located along the Dixon Lewis Trail. The one-mile trail follows the creek to a natural waterfall “where crowds spend the day swimming,” according to the USDA.
The short hike and waterfall are popular with visitors. However, the USDA warns that “swimming and cliff diving near the waterfall is extremely dangerous and has led to several drowning deaths and severe injuries.”
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