Death Valley is not being coy about any of this.
After getting their car stuck, a 68-year-old tourist and his travel partner attempted to walk out of Death Valley. The scorching 113F heat quickly left him unable to continue. By the time rescue personnel were able to reach him, he was dead.
On Monday, Pierre Michel Formosa, 68, and a travel partner were driving near the Queen of Sheba Mine when their vehicle became trapped in the mud, National Park officials said. The two men left their vehicle and began walking across the salt flats toward Badwater Road in an attempt to get help. Death Valley National Park is one of the hottest places on the planet in summer, with temperatures hitting 130 degrees. On Monday, the high was 113, officials said.
A little over a mile into the walk, Formosa could no longer continue. His companion left him there and continued walking, making it close enough to Badwater Road to flag down a passing driver. The man was taken to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center, where authorities were alerted that Formosa was missing.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter dispatched to help with the search located Formosa about 1.5 miles from Badwater Road. He was declared deceased at the scene.
This is not the first set of European tourists to misunderstand how deadly a valley named Death can be. In 1996, a German family also broke down and attempted to walk out. It took a very long time to find them:
We also shared this story of a hiker from Belgium.