In a heart-wrenching incident, a father and his daughter tragically lost their lives during a hike in Utah as temperatures soared above 100°F.
The catastrophic event unfolded when the 23-year-old woman and her 52-year-old father from Green Bay, Wisconsin, reportedly became disoriented and eventually ran out of water while traversing the Syncline Trail in Canyonlands National Park. The nearest city, Moab, recorded blistering air temperatures during their hike.
The alarm was raised on Friday afternoon (July 12) when a distressing 911 text was sent from the Island in the Sky district of the park, prompting immediate action from park rangers and the Bureau of Land Management Moab District Helitack personnel. Despite the swift response, the father and daughter were found deceased.
A spokesperson from the National Park Service issued a caution, advising, “While temperatures remain high this summer, park visitors are advised to carry and drink plenty of water and avoid strenuous activity during midday heat.”
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, together with the National Park Services, is conducting an investigation into the tragic incident.
This devastating situation occurred shortly after another sorrowful event. Just ten days earlier, a young boy succumbed to the brutal heat while hiking in Arizona.
Cortinez Logan, just nine years old, collapsed while navigating through the South Mountain Park and Preserve near Phoenix. On that fateful Tuesday (July 2), temperatures had climbed to a scorching 113°F.
Authorities disclosed that the Logan family embarked on their hike at around 9.30am, and it was only five to six hours later that they contacted emergency services. Reportedly, Cortinez began experiencing severe signs of heat exhaustion early in the afternoon.
The young boy was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he tragically passed away from what was described as a ‘heat-related medical event’.
These incidents are part of a troubling trend of heat-related fatalities across the United States as intense heat waves continue to affect many states. In another tragic incident on July 5, a four-month-old baby girl died after being exposed to extreme temperatures during a boat trip with her family in Lake Havasu, Arizona, where temperatures reached a staggering 120°F according to Accuweather.