A 20-year-old American college student was found dead after she went missing while hiking Table Mountain in South Africa this weekend, officials said.
South African National Parks (SANParks) confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY on Monday that staff for Table Mountain, located in Cape Town, received an emergency report of a missing hiker on Saturday.
The hiker, since identified as 20-year-old Brook Cheuvront, left to climb the mountain that afternoon. Her tracking app failed to update after she departed, according to SANParks, and her friends eventually reported her missing when she did not return from her solo trip and they couldn’t get in contact with her.
Park rangers, Wilderness Search and Rescue members, and trail runners were deployed that evening to search on foot. The following morning, the search resumed and a City of Cape Town aircraft was used to ultimately locate Cheuvront’s remains.
SANParks said her body was found on the mountain’s slopes and her cause of death is under investigation.
Brook Cheuvront was “kind-hearted” and “brilliant,” say family and friends
Cheuvront was a Newland, North Carolina native and a sophomore at the University of North Carolina (UNC) of Chapel Hill who was in South Africa fulfilling an internship at the University of Cape Town, WNCN, a CBS affiliate, originally reported.
Cheuvront’s family posted to Facebook on Sunday, asking friends and family to take down posts made during the search for Brook.
“She was recovered. We are devastated. God help me and us,” it read.
“Brook was a bright light to everyone she encountered,” said another Facebook post by a family friend. “She was brilliant in every sense. She grew up with my kids and this is a loss to every person that knew her.”
Other stories shared about Brook online called her “kind,” “selfless,” “sweet,” “funny,” and “smart.”
“I am grateful to have grown up with someone so special,” said one friend’s tribute.
Mountain safety
In response to the tragedy, SANParks released a list of best-practice safety tips for hikers. While these were shared specifically by Table Mountain National Park Management, the guidelines are good advice for hikers in general.
- Do activities in groups. Management at Table Mountain recommends four or more.
- Choose your route carefully and stick to it.
- Allow yourself enough time – start early.
- Inform someone of your route and what time you are expected back.
- Always wear waterproof clothing, and wear walking shoes or hiking boots.
- Save the applicable emergency numbers, in this case the Table Mountain National Park emergency number, into your phone before setting off.
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