Heatwave fatalities rise in US: Hiker dies from heat and dehydration in Utah

New Delhi: A 56-year-old woman tragically died after succumbing to high temperatures and a lack of water at Quail Creek State Park in Utah, USA, local authorities have reported. According to USA Today, the incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, when temperatures reached a sweltering 106 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Hurricane City Police Department revealed that officers were alerted to a distressed hiker near the park. Despite life-saving efforts, the woman was found unresponsive on the trail and was pronounced dead. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Hurricane Valley Fire Department, and the State of Utah Department of Natural Resources were involved in the response.

This year’s heatwave has already led to several fatalities among hikers across the Southwest. In late June, 69-year-old Scott Sims from Austin, Texas, collapsed and died on a trail in Grand Canyon National Park, where temperatures exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

In early July, 61-year-old Jurgen Fink from Germany perished in Death Valley National Park, and on July 13, 30-year-old Belyruth Ordóñez was found dead in Snow Canyon State Park, with her parents hospitalized for heat exhaustion.

Additionally, a father and daughter duo, 52-year-old Albino Herrera Espinoza and 23-year-old Beatriz Herrera from Green Bay, Wisconsin, also lost their lives on July 12 at Canyonlands National Park after becoming lost and running out of water.