A 16-year-old girl has died after falling from a steep ledge over the weekend.
On Saturday, deputies from Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office and New York State Police troopers responded to the scene at nature preserveZoar Valley in Otto, New York, after receiving numerous 911 calls about “a female who had fallen off a steep ledge,” according to a press release.
Emergency responders from Otto, Gowanda Fire Department, Gowanda EMS, Erie County Sheriff's Office Air One, Mercy Flight, NYS Forest Rangers, NYS Environmental Police and Eden Fire Rope Rescue also responded to the scene.
The teenager, who has not been publicly identified, sustained fatal falls from the injury, the sheriff’s office stated, and an investigation is ongoing.
Zoar Valley, located about 40 miles from Buffalo, New York, is a 3,014-acre nature preserve known for its “spectacular scenery created by its deep gorge, sheer cliffs, flowing waterfalls, and dense forests,” according to the New York State government's Department of Environmental Preservation.
On the website, it urges visitors to “stay on marked trails” as the area contains “hazards associated with rocks, steep slopes, cliffs and swift water.”
According to The Buffalo News, the teenager is the 10th person to have died while “hiking or rafting” in Zoar Valley since 2004.
In April, two "experienced rafters" drowned in the area and, in 2018, a 20-year-old died after falling 60ft while trying to climb a waterfall during a visit to the scenic area, the outlet states.
