US Embassy in South Africa on Monday expressed sadness over the death of Brook Cheuvront, a 20-year-old American student who died while hiking Cape Town’s Table Mountain.
Earlier on Monday, IOL reported that Brook was an American student from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who had recently moved to South Africa.
She went hiking on Saturday at Devils Peak at the Table Mountain National Park near Cape Town before her body was found on Sunday.
Responding to a query from IOL, an unidentified US Mission spokesperson sent out condolences to Brook’s family.
“We can confirm the death of an American citizen hiker in Table Mountain National Park. We are deeply saddened by her loss and offer our condolences to her family and friends at this terrible time,” the US Embassy said.
“Due to privacy considerations and out of respect for her family, we do not have additional information to share at this time.”
However, the diplomatic mission in Pretoria added that it prioritises the safety of its citizens and it is working closely with the South African government in the wake of the tragedy.
“The United States considers the safety and well-being of its citizens abroad to be our top priority, and our mission in South Africa has worked closely with local authorities as well as the victim's family and others to assist in this case,” according to the response sent to IOL.
Western Cape police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie told IOL that a search party found the woman's body at around 2pm on Sunday.
“We can confirm that the body of the missing hiker was found by a search party at about 2pm on Sunday, 22 September 2024, in an area which is part of Devils Peak and retrieved by EMS helicopter,” said Pojie.
He said an autopsy will be conducted to determine the possible cause of death of the student.
“An inquest was registered for further investigation by Mowbray detectives. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the possible cause of death.”
Brook was on an internship at the University of Cape Town.
IOL