Tourist suffers severe burns in Death Valley heatwave
Walking through Death Valley in the United States, a tourist lost a flip-flop. Instinctively, he placed his foot on the hot sand, which immediately caused severe burns. Additionally, the extremely hot air made it impossible for a rescue helicopter to arrive at the scene.
1:46 PM EDT, July 26, 2024
Last Saturday, the temperature in Death Valley, USA reached a record 122 degrees Fahrenheit. A tourist from Belgium experienced firsthand how dangerous such conditions can be.
When the 42-year-old man was walking on the hot dunes in the national park, one of his flip-flops slipped off his foot. The tourist instinctively decided to place his foot on the ground. Unfortunately, the hot sand caused severe third-degree burns.
The skin on his foot melted, said Gia Poonce, a park ranger.
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Due to the pain, the man was unable to move on his own. His family asked other tourists for help, who quickly responded. Together, with great effort, they carried him by hand from the hot dunes to the parking lot. There, the man's burns were treated by park rangers.
According to RMF FM, the rangers planned to call a rescue helicopter, but it turned out that due to the extreme air temperatures, the helicopter could not land in Death Valley.
Eventually, an ambulance arrived, which transported the burned tourist to a higher area where the temperature was slightly lower. From there, the man was taken over by the rescue helicopter crew, which could then land safely. The helicopter transported the injured person to a specialized burn center in Las Vegas, where he received the necessary medical care.
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Intense heat in Death Valley
In summer, Death Valley experiences extreme heat, which is so intense that tourists are advised to wear enclosed footwear while walking on the dunes. According to RMF24, the Belgian apparently ignored these warnings and found out firsthand that the sand at such high air temperatures can reach even 176-194 degrees Fahrenheit.
"People often think it's like walking on the beach, where you can wear flip-flops or sandals," says Gia Poonce. She adds that rangers wear gloves to avoid direct contact with the hot sand with bare hands.
Death Valley is located in the Mojave Desert in southern California. The name "Death Valley" dates back to the California Gold Rush era, when gold prospectors, trying to take a shortcut to the goldfields of Sierra Nevada, barely escaped with their lives.
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