Man dies after vehicle gets stranded in Death Valley, attempts trek across blistering salt flats

A French tourist died this month after becoming stranded in California’sDeath Valley National Parkamid sweltering temperatures.

The National Park Service (NPS) announced the death of Pierre Michel Formosa, 68, on Aug.21.

Park officials said Formosa and his travel companion, also a French national, were driving on West Side Road along the Badwater Basin on Aug.17 when their vehicle “became stuck in mud.”

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“With no other vehicles in the area, the men began walking across the salt flats toward Badwater Road to seek assistance,” park officials said.

Temperatures were as high as 116°F — and eventually Formosa was “unable to continue.”

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A 68-year-old tourist died recently during a visit to California’s Death Valley National Park in August.(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Formosa’s companion continued on and eventually was helped by a passing motorist — who alerted officials at theFurnace Creek Visitor Centerat around 2 p.m.

NPS rangers soon began searching for Formosa, along with an Inyo County sheriff’s deputy.

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A California Highway Patrol helicopter later joined the search and found Formosa later that afternoon, about 1.5 miles from Badwater Road.

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“He was pronounced dead at the scene,” NPS officials said.

With no other vehicles nearby, the two travelers set out across Death Valley’s salt flats, seen above, toward Badwater Road for help.(Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“The Inyo County coroner will determine the cause and manner of death.”

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In a statement, Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds said he was “grateful to everyone who took part in the search, and our thoughts are with his loved ones.”

Death Valley National Park recorded temperatures as high as 116 degrees when two individuals (not pictured) encountered trouble during their trip.(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“This is a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly conditions here canturn dangerous,” said Reynolds.

“Death Valley is an extraordinary place, but itsheat, distancesand remoteness can be dangerous, regardless of experience.”

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The incident comes after several other deaths at national parks this summer.

Death Valley’s extreme heat, long distances and remote landscape can pose dangers to visitors regardless of their experience, said an official. (George Rose/Getty Images)

Earlier this summer, an18-year-old hikerdied after experiencing heat-related symptoms while hiking the Grand Canyon’s popular Bright Angel Trail, according to the NPS.

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In August, accomplished rock climberJake Whisenant,30, died after a fall at California’s Sequoia National Park, suffering blunt-force trauma injuries.