US citizen dies on Chirripó Peak trail
A U.S. man, Michael Lee Kathrein, 62, died Friday on the main trail in Costa Rica’s Chirripó National Park.
He was found 300 meters from the Llano Bonito rest stop, which is 7.5 kilometers up the trail, according to a statement from the National System of Conservation Areas.
The cause of death was yet to be confirmed by an autopsy as of Saturday morning. But regional parks director Ronald Chan Fonseca said Kathrein had no external injuries or lesions when medical workers found him, suggesting he died of natural causes.
Authorities said Kathrein had not registered with the park system to enter the area. Visitors must reserve permits in advance to hike up the peak.
The daily La Nación reported that Kathrein is the second person to die on the grueling 21-kilometer trail in the last two months.
Chirripó Peak is the highest mountain in Costa Rica at 3,820 meters.
You may be interested
Costa Rica ends work week with new high in Covid hospitalizations
The Tico Times - May 8, 2021There are 1,175 people in Costa Rica hospitalized with Covid-19, a new record, the Health Ministry said in its Friday…
Authorities search for hiker missing in Chirripó NP
Alejandro Zúñiga - May 7, 2021Costa Rican authorities are searching for a woman who disappeared Tuesday while hiking to Cerro Ventisqueros, the country's second-highest peak…
Costa Rica unemployment rate remains elevated at 18.7%
The Tico Times - May 7, 2021Unemployment in Costa Rica was 18.7% in the moving quarter from January to March 2021, according to the National Institute…
