Woman dies after falling into Devil’s Punchbowl on Oregon coast

A woman died when she sustained critical injuries after falling into the Devil’s Punchbowl on the Oregon coast near Newport on June 3, the Depoe Bay Fire District said.

First responders were dispatched to the Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area after receiving reports of a person falling into the park’s famous collapsed sea cave at about 12:25 p.m., officials said in a release.

Firefighters rappelled to provide life support care after first responders determined the woman had sustained critical injuries. Fire district officials decided to call the U.S. Coast Guard and request a helicopter to hoist her out of the cave.

The Coast Guard helicopter lifted the woman from the cave and landed in the parking lot of the state park, where firefighter-paramedics provided care while she was flown to a trauma center in the Willamette Valley. Officials did not say which hospital they took the woman to.

The woman, whom officials did not name, died at the hospital.

Eder Campuzano is the local news editor for the Statesman Journal. He can can be reached at ecampuzano@statesmanjournal.com. Find him on Bluesky at @ederc.bsky.social or Threads @ederc