1 Dead in Apparent Fall at Kīpahulu, Maui

Kīpahulu coastline, file photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

A 59-year-old Maui man is dead after an apparent fall in the remote East Maui area of Kīpahulu.

The incident was reported at around 12 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12, at the base of a cliff near the ocean off of the Hāna Highway near mile marker 41, said Maui Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga.

Maui police have since identified the man as 59-year-old Philip Chang of Kaupō.

Police say Chang was last seen working on a farm in Kīpahulu between 10 a.m. and noon. Authorities say he was cutting grass near a cliff, where there was loose soil.

He was later found by co-workers approximately 20 feet below the cliff with no sign of life, according to police reports.

According to fire department reports, the man fell onto the rocks along the surf break.

Rescue personnel from Kahului and fire crews with the department’s Air-1 helicopter airlifted the victim’s body to the top of the cliff.

The man was then loaded into a vehicle for transport to the Hāna Health Center by personnel from the Maui Police Department where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

Police say the incident remains under investigation.