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The Honolulu Advertiser

Updated at 5:29 p.m., Friday, June 29, 2007

Efforts continue to retrieve body at Haleakala park

The Maui News

HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK – Officials planned to continue efforts today to recover a man's body found Wednesday about 500 feet below a lookout at Haleakala National Park, The Maui News reported.

The Leleiwi overlook at the 8,800-foot elevation of the park will close at 9 a.m. today.

Recovery efforts were suspended Thursday afternoon because of unstable terrain and cloudy weather, said Dominic Cardea, park spokesman.

Park rangers were continuing to investigate the unattended death, he said.

The body was found below the Leleiwi overlook, which was closed Thursday morning while park rangers and the Maui Fire Department attempted to reach the body by climbing down the stair-stepped cliffs on ropes.

"We hope to have the county helicopter assist, but weather is definitely a factor," said park ranger Kiefer Gier.

"Cause of death has not been determined, and an investigation is ongoing," Gier said.

A search began after park staff were notified Wednesday of a potential missing person associated with a vehicle that was towed from the park. Rangers did a preliminary search after going to the location where the vehicle had been parked. Rangers discovered the body after hiking along the western rim of Haleakala near Leleiwi.

The man is believed to be a Mainland resident in his late 40s.

For more Maui news, visit The Maui News.