A 68-year-old French tourist, Pierre Michel Formosa, died after his vehicle became stuck in mud in California’s Death Valley National Park. He and a travelling companion tried to cross the Badwater Basin salt flats on foot to find help in temperatures reaching 116°F (47°C), highlighting the severe risks posed by heat, distance and isolation in the park.

The pair became stranded on West Side Road on 17 August and began walking towards Badwater Road when Formosa could no longer continue. His companion reached a passing motorist, prompting a search by park rangers, a sheriff’s deputy and a California Highway Patrol helicopter; Formosa was found about 1.5 miles from the road and pronounced dead. The Inyo County coroner will determine the cause and manner of death.