Rockslide on Great Allegheny Passage kills one cyclist

A fatal rockslide on the Great Allegheny Passage near Connellsville, Pennsylvania, killed one cyclist and seriously injured another on Saturday. The incident occurred around noon near mile marker 88, a section of the trail that runs parallel to the Youghiogheny River south of Connellsville.

Fayette County Coroner Bob Baker identified the deceased as a 76-year-old woman from Florida. Emergency responders, including the Morrell Volunteer Fire Company, used rescue cribbing, webbing, and airbags to dislodge a boulder weighing approximately 1,000 pounds that had trapped the two individuals. The surviving cyclist was airlifted to a Pittsburgh hospital with severe injuries.

The trail section is owned by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and is part of Ohiopyle State Park. The DCNR has closed the immediate area of the landslide and advised the public to avoid it. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is leading the investigation into the incident.