American hiker found dead on South Africa's Table Mountain

JOHANNESBURG — An American woman who went missing while on a hike on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa has died and her body has been recovered, authorities said on Monday.

The woman has been identified as a 20-year-old student from North Carolina named Brook Cheuvront.

Cheuvront was reported missing on Saturday after a tracking app she was using stopped updating and friends could not reach her, said SANParks spokesman JP Louw.

The management of SANParks, which manages Table Mountain and other national parks, said the cause of death was still unclear and an inquest into her death has been opened.

An initial search was conducted by rangers, wilderness search and rescue members, and trail runners until late Saturday evening when it was no longer practical to continue, said Louw. An aircraft joined the search the next day and helped to locate the body.

South African authorities have urged people to avoid hiking on their own, suggesting it be done in groups of at least four people.