Missing American found dead in bottom of Peru ravine

LIMA - The body of an American who had been reported missing near the ancient Inca capital of Cusco was found Monday at the bottom of a ravine after he tried to climb a mountain, police said.

Seth Thomas, 24, was found in the 300-meter (980-foot) deep abyss at Apu Picol mountain in the southeastern Peruvian tourist region of Cusco. He had been missing since Friday.

"Brigadiers from the High Mountain Rescue Department went down the steep slope to remove the body," a police report said.

Fellow US citizen Karen Anabel Acervedo told reporters that Thomas was volunteering at a clinic in Cusco.

The young man appears to have died from a fall, as he suffered several fractures and bleeding, according to media reports.

The body was transferred to the central morgue of the Institute of Legal Medicine, and the US consulate was notified.