A 67-year-old California man died when he fell over a ledge while visiting the Grand Canyon, marking the third death in eight days at the popular Arizona tourist destination, park officials said Thursday.

The man was visiting Grand Canyon National Park alone at about 11:30 a.m. local time Wednesday when he reportedly fell off the edge at a viewing spot on the South Rim, said spokesperson Murray Shoemaker.

Rescuers were alerted by a bystander, and the man's body was recovered several hours later about 120 metres below the rim by the park's helicopter and a technical rescue team, Shoemaker said. The victim's name and hometown were not immediately released.

The National Park Service and the Coconino County medical examiner are investigating the death, but officials said it has initially been ruled accidental.

The Skywalk hangs over the Grand Canyon on the Hualapai Indian reservation. A tourist died late last month after slipping and falling over the edge of a Grand Canyon lookout on tribal land. (Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press)

A park spokesperson said it was the first over-the-edge death this year at Grand Canyon National Park, where 17 people died last year.

Two people died at the Grand Canyon late last month in separate incidents that included one man stumbling over the edge of the rim while trying to take pictures at Grand Canyon West, a popular tourist destination on the Hualapai reservation outside the boundaries of the national park.

Park officials said a body was also discovered on March 26 in an undeveloped area at the park's South Rim, but not near any overlooks. No other details were released.

Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S., drawing nearly 6.4 million visitors last year. Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai reservation gets about one million visitors annually.