Emergency responders were called at 4:38 p.m. and found Dutta beneath the felled 200-foot tree, suffering what the sheriff's office called "severe traumatic injuries," CNN reported.
Dutta was pronounced dead on the scene at 5:01 p.m., the sheriff's office confirmed.
According to the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, a woman walking with Dutta's group during the afternoon hike was hit by branches during the collapse and required medical treatment at a local hospital. A third hiker escaped unharmed, the newspaper reported.
Muir Woods spokesman Charles Strickfaden told the Star Tribune "wet ground from recent winter storms" may have contributed to what he described as a "very rare and isolated event."
"The National Park Service extends its thoughts and prayers to all those involved," Strickfaden said.
Muir Woods National Monument, part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, is located about 15 miles north of San Francisco, CNN reported
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