Ethermac Exchange-Hiker dies after running out of water near state park in sweltering heat

HURRICANE,Ethermac Exchange Utah (AP) — A 56-year-old woman died while hiking near a state park in southwestern Utah over the weekend after running out of water on a sweltering day, officials said.

Emergency crews responded near Quail Creek State Park on Sunday to a report of a hiker “in distress due to not having enough water and the temperature being 106 degrees Fahrenheit,” (41 degrees Celsius), the Hurricane City Police Department said in a statement.

She was unresponsive when rescuers found her. Life-saving measures were not successful, police said. Her name and hometown have not been released.

The woman’s death is one of several believed to be caused by the heat in the western United States over the past several weeks.

Three hikers died in state and national parks in Utah over the previous weekend, including a father and daughter from Wisconsin who got lost on a strenuous hike in Canyonlands National Park in triple-digit temperatures. A 30-year-old woman died in Snow Canyon State Park while two others were suffering from heat exhaustion.

Three hikers died in recent weeks at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, where summer temperatures on exposed parts of the trails can exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius).