Woman collapses in triple-digit heat while hiking in Grand Canyon National Park

A woman tragically died on Monday while hiking amid searing heat in the Grand Canyon, a top tourist spot in the US, officials said.

The National Park Service (NPS), in a news release, said that on Sunday, at approximately 6:30 p.m., a US Park Ranger received a report of a distressed hiker in the Tuweep area of Grand Canyon National Park.

"The hiker, a 57-year-old female, was attempting an eight-mile hike in the remote Tuweep area of the park when she became unconscious. A ranger arrived on the scene at approximately 1 a.m. on July 3 and pronounced the hiker deceased. On July 2, the high temperature at Tuweep was well over 100°F (38°C), with the high temperature at Phantom Ranch, near the Colorado River along the North Kaibab trail, reached approximately 114°F (46°C)," read the press release by NPS.

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"Park rangers at Grand Canyon National Park urge visitors to Grand Canyon, especially inner canyon hikers and backpackers, to be prepared for excessively hot days in the coming weeks. An Excessive Heat Warning has been issued for inner canyon portions of the Grand Canyon through Wednesday, July 5," the release added.

NPS said that temperatures on exposed parts of the trail can reach over 120°F (49 °C) in the shade.

"Park rangers strongly advise not hiking in the inner canyon during the heat of the day between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.," it added.

Further cautioning the residents, the NPS said, "Hiking in extreme heat can lead to serious health risks including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hyponatremia, and death."

The NPS then confirmed that a probe into this incident is being conducted in coordination with the Mohave County Medical Examiner.

Extreme heatwave kills at least 13 in the United States

United States officials on Friday released a statement saying that at least 13 people lost their lives due to extreme heat waves in the southern United States, amid heavy air pollution in other parts of the country due to smoke from wildfires in Canada.

The highest death toll, of 11 people, was registered in Webb County, Texas, near the Mexican border.

"As of Wednesday, there have been 11 total deaths," local officials said in a statement to AFP. "Ten are Webb County residents, the 11th death was from a neighbouring county that was brought to a local hospital and unfortunately passed away."

A 14-year-old died due to scorching heat while he was hiking in Big Bend National Park in Texas. The temperature there had reached 119 Fahrenheit (48 Celsius), said the local officials.

They further added that a 62-year-old woman lost her life in the neighbouring state of Louisiana last week after a storm left thousands of families without power and thus without air conditioning.

(With inputs from agencies)

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