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by IANS |
July 16 (IANS) Two hikers, a man and his daughter, have been found dead at a popular national park amid high temperatures in the western US state of Utah, said authorities. San Juan County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that it was notified by the National Park Service of a deceased hiker in the Upheaval Dome area of Canyonlands National Park at 5.45 p.m. local time on Friday. About 15 minutes later, the Sheriff's Office was notified of a second deceased hiker in the same area, Xinhua news agency reported. According to park officials, the pair were a father and daughter who became lost while hiking a trail in the remote northwest portion of San Juan County. The park service responded to the area after being notified by the Utah Department of Public Safety, which received emergency 911 texts from the hikers reporting that they were lost and out of water. Due to the remote area and rugged terrain, the San Juan County Sheriff's Office coordinated with the Department of Public Safety helicopter team to extract the decedents early Saturday morning, according to the news release. San Juan County Sheriff's Office and the National Park Service are investigating the incident. Canyonlands National Park pointed out in a heat warning on its website that daily high temperatures in the park are reaching or exceeding 35 degrees Celsius. The two visitors' deaths are the latest in western US parks in recent weeks as the western part of the country continues to grapple with a widespread record-breaking heat wave. Three visitors have reportedly died at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona in less than a month since late June. All three deaths are still being investigated as park officials warned that most individuals will be at risk for heat-related illnesses without effective cooling or adequate hydration, especially with prolonged outdoor exposure. A motorcyclist reportedly died on July 6 in Death Valley National Park in California as temperatures in the area reached 53.3 degrees Celsius.
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