A man from Florida and his teenage stepson are dead after a tragic series of events that began with them hiking in extreme heat at Big Bend National Park in Texas, officials said.
The 14-year-old boy died after falling ill during the hike and his stepfather died in a car crash while trying to get help, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
The 31-year-old man was hiking the Marufo Vega Trail on Friday with his two stepsons, ages 14 and 21, as temperatures soared to 48 C in the afternoon heat.
The 14-year-old became sick and eventually lost consciousness during the hike.
His stepfather hiked back to their car to get help while the boy’s older brother attempted to carry him back to the trailhead, the NPS wrote.
At around 6 p.m. local time, authorities were alerted about the emergency and a team of park rangers and U.S. Border Patrol agents were deployed to look for the hikers.
Authorities reached the scene at around 7:30 p.m. but by that time the 14-year-old had died along the trail.
Authorities then began searching for the father and at 8 p.m. they found that his vehicle had crashed over an embankment at Boquillas Overlook. The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, the park service said.
Get daily National news
The boy’s 21-year-old brother was the only one to make it out of the ordeal alive. He was not physically harmed, park service officials added.
The names of the victims and the survivor were not immediately released. The official causes of death for the 14-year-old and his stepfather have also not been announced as the incident remains under investigation.
“Our entire park community sends our deep condolences to the family and great appreciation to the dedicated first responders who reached the scene under extreme conditions,” said Park Information Officer Tom VandenBerg.
“The Marufo Vega Trail winds through extremely rugged desert and rocky cliffs within the hottest part of Big Bend National Park. No shade or water makes this strenuous trail dangerous to attempt in the heat of summer,” the park service wrote in a news release.
Temperatures at the time were 48 C (119 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the National Park Service. The park, like other parts of Texas, is experiencing extreme heat with daily high temperatures ranging from 43 C to 48 C.
Currently, there is an extreme heat advisory in place at Big Bend National Park. The park service writes that current temperature conditions are “extremely dangerous/deadly.”
“Hikers should be OFF TRAILS in the afternoon. Stay hydrated. Limit your exposure,” the NPS advises.
This is not the first time a hiker has died in extreme heat at Big Bend National Park.
In July 2022, a 75-year-old Houston man died while hiking alone in the park in 40-degree heat. His body was found less than a kilometre away from a trailhead.
At the time, officials said hikers should be prepared to carry and drink one gallon of water per day and should be off desert trails by noon during the hot summer months.
In 2019, a 54-year-old Houston man also died while hiking alone at the park. Temperatures reached a high of 41 degrees that day.
— With files from The Associated Press
Comments