Body of 2nd 4th-Grader on Deadly Field Trip Found

The body of a boy missing since a rockslide killed a classmate and left two others injured at a Minnesota park yesterday was recovered today. St. Paul's assistant fire chief says crews found the body late in the morning after they came up with a plan for resuming the search safely. One of the students who was injured in the slide remains in serious condition; the other was treated and released.

The boy had been missing since rain-saturated soil gave way yesterday afternoon as fourth-graders from Peter Hobart Elementary School in St. Louis Park hunted for fossils on a path in Lilydale Regional Park. (Sad detail: The Star Tribune notes that the child whose body was recovered today "liked geology," per his uncle.) Partly for safety reasons, the city requires permits for fossil-hunting at the park, and requires applicants to sign a waiver releasing the city from any liability for injuries or property damage. The park department's permit website and the application form also warn of conditions that may be "hazardous."