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Forest Park man dies after fall in North Carolina gorgeAssociated Presson June 5, 2021 at 4:13 am

Rescue workers in Linville Gorge in North Carolina on Thursday are shown responding to a report of a hiker falling. They eventually discovered that Michael Ryva of Forest Park did not survive the fall. | Burke County (N.C.) Search and Rescue

Michael Ryva, 30, had fallen approximately 80 feet from a ledge, officials said.

MARION, N.C. (AP) — A hiker from Illinois is dead after a fall at Linville Gorge in the western North Carolina mountains, according to local officials.

News outlets report that Burke County Emergency Management officials received a call midday Thursday for an injured hiker off Rock Jock Trail in the gorge.

More than three hours later, rescuers found Michael Ryva dead. The 30-year-old from Forest Park, Illinois, had fallen approximately 80 feet from a ledge, officials said.

Crews were still working to extricate him at 9 p.m. Thursday, Michael Willis of the county fire marshal and emergency management offices said.

It’s the second fatal fall of the season in the wilderness area about 65 miles northeast of Asheville. A hiker died after a long fall in the area of Babel Tower on April 17.