Woman, 29, dies in fall from Half Dome cables in Yosemite

A 29-year-old woman fell to her death Thursday during a climb of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. A 29-year-old woman fell to her death Thursday during a climb of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Photo: Kenny Karst Photo: Kenny Karst Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Woman, 29, dies in fall from Half Dome cables in Yosemite 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A 29-year-old woman died Thursday in a fall from the Half Dome cables in Yosemite, according to National Park officials.

Danielle Burnett, 29, was from Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

"She fell over 500 feet down steep, rocky terrain, and was deceased when Park Rangers arrived on the scene," according to a statement from the park.

The incident, which occurred at 11:55 a.m., remains under investigation, according to park spokesperson Scott Gediman.

A hiker fell from the cables and died in May 2018; the incident was the first fatality on the Half Dome cables since 2011.

SFGATE will update this story as more details become available.

ALSO: Study finds Half Dome permits didn't make Yosemite safer

Yosemite National Park began limiting the number of hikers on Half Dome with a permitting system introduced in 2010 with the intention of improving safety. The process was implemented after four people died in four years.

The 14.2-mile, round-trip trek to the top of Half Dome includes a precarious section near the summit with cable handrails. This stretch is notoriously tricky, especially with wet weather, and hikers can fall and get stuck here, leading to accidents and rescues.

The permits distributed through a lottery system provide access to the cables, which are usually in place from about Memorial Day to mid-October.

Nearly 1,200 visitors per day made it to the cables section of Half Dome up until 2008, according to the Sierra Club. Now permits are capped at 300 per day.

Amy Graff is a digital editor at SFGATE. Email her at agraff@sfgate.com.