Two Californians Die While Hiking To Delicate Arch In Arches National Park

GRAND COUNTY, Ut. (CBS/CNN) -- Two Californians have died and another was injured after they fell near Delicate Arch in Utah's Arches National Park on Friday, authorities said.

The three people fell into the lower bowl area below Delicate Arch at around 7:30 a.m. local time, the Grand County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

A 65-year-old man and 60-year-old woman were found dead, the sheriff's office said. The third person, a 30-year-old man, was flown to a regional hospital. All three individuals are believed to be from California and may have been related, the sheriff's office said.

Chief Ranger Scott Brown told CNN affiliate KSL-TV that although the trail was wet and slick at the time of the incident, the cause of the fall is still unknown. The trail was closed then reopened Friday around 3 p.m., Brown told the Salt Lake Tribune.

Portions of the trail to the arch are narrow and can be precarious.

The Delicate Arch is a "widely recognized symbol of the state of Utah and one of the most famous geologic features in the world," according to the National Park Service website.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company, contributed to this report.)

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