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A French tourist recently died in Death Valley national park after a car mishap left him stranded in 116F (47C) weather.
The visitor, identified as 68-year-old Pierre Michel Formosa, was traveling with another French man along the park’s remote West Side Road when their vehicle became stuck in mud near Queen of Sheba Mine Road.
With no other vehicles nearby, the pair walked across the salt flats toward Badwater Road in search of help as excessively temperatures reached 116F (46.6C), the National Park Service (NPS) said in a recent statement.
After walking roughly 1.3 miles (2km), Formosa was unable to go any farther, the agency said. His companion continued toward Badwater Road and eventually got help from a passing driver.
The companion subsequently reported Formosa’s plight at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center shortly after 2pm, the NPS said.
Park rangers and an Inyo county sheriff’s deputy launched a search and rescue operation for Formosa at about 2.15pm. A California highway patrol helicopter later joined the effort and located Formosa that afternoon, about 1.5 miles from Badwater Road.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. The NPS said the Inyo county coroner will determine the cause and manner of death; nonetheless, the agency cautioned the public about how dangerous the heat at Death Valley can be, along with other characteristics there.
“Our deepest condolences are with the family and friends of the visitor who died,” said Mike Reynolds, the Death Valley national park superintendent. “This is a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly conditions here can turn dangerous.
“Death Valley is an extraordinary place, but its heat, distances, and remoteness can be dangerous, regardless of experience. We’re grateful to everyone who took part in the search, and our thoughts are with his loved ones.”
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Death Valley, which lies near the California-Nevada state border, is widely known as one of the hottest places on Earth. In July 1913, Furnace Creek, an unincorporated community within Death Valley national park, recorded a temperature of 134F, which is recognized as the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.
Beside the temperatures, vast terrain and remoteness, the NPS often warns Death Valley visitors that cell service is limited or unavailable – and emergency assistance can be hours away. The park covers about 3.4m acres (1.4m hectares) and is the largest national park in the contiguous US.
The park recommends several precautions for visitors, including planning routes in advance and checking road and weather conditions before setting out. Visitors are also advised to carry at least one gallon of water per person per day, along with extra supplies for vehicle emergencies – and to make sure their vehicle is suitable for the road, as many backcountry routes require high clearance or four-wheel drive.
Other safety recommendations include carrying a satellite communicator or emergency beacon, staying with a vehicle if it becomes disabled (as it can provide shade and shelter), and sticking to paved roads while avoiding hikes at lower elevations during extreme heat.
The warnings come as heatwaves have swept across the US amid the ongoing climate crisis. July was the hottest month ever recorded in the country, and several hikers have died in suspected heat-related cases this summer.
In June, the NPS reported three apparent heat-related deaths during trips into the inner canyon of Grand Canyon national park in Arizona. The victims were a 72-year-old man, a 67-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman.
