Three hikers died over the weekend in national parks in Utah, western USA. The deaths are suspected to have been caused by the heat. A 52-year-old man and his 23-year-old daughter sent an SMS to the rescue service on Friday and asked for help. They are believed to have got lost and run out of water while hiking on a demanding trail in nearly 40-degree heat in Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Rescue helicopters began searching for the hikers early on Friday evening, but when they were found, they had already died.
On Sunday, another hiker, a 30-year-old woman, was found dead in Utah. This is also being investigated as a heat-related death.
Hikers continue to venture out into national parks in Utah and other states in southwestern USA during the hottest months of the year, despite warnings from authorities.
Three hikers died last month in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, where summer temperatures can approach 50 degrees. Earlier in July, a motorcyclist died from the heat in Death Valley National Park in eastern California, where the temperature exceeded 52 degrees for nine days in a row at the beginning of July, a record.
