A French tourist lost his life this month after being caught in California’s Death Valley National Park during intense heat. The National Park Service (NPS) reported the death of 68-year-old Pierre Michel Formosa on August 21.
On August 17, Formosa and his travel companion, both from France, drove along West Side Road near the Badwater Basin when their vehicle became trapped in mud. Finding no other vehicles around, they attempted to walk across the salt flats towards Badwater Road to find help.
Temperatures reached a searing 116°F, and Formosa eventually could not continue. His companion proceeded and found assistance from a passing motorist. This motorist notified the authorities at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center around 2 p.m.
NPS rangers, joined by an Inyo County sheriff’s deputy and later a California Highway Patrol helicopter, launched a search. They located Formosa later that afternoon, about 1.5 miles from Badwater Road. Unfortunately, he was declared dead at the location.
The Inyo County coroner will determine the exact cause and circumstances of the death. In a statement, Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds expressed gratitude to all who participated in the search. He extended condolences to Formosa’s family and loved ones.
Reynolds emphasized the dangers posed by Death Valley’s extreme heat, vast distances, and isolation. He noted that these challenging conditions can become perilous swiftly, regardless of a person’s experience level.
This tragic incident follows other fatalities in national parks this summer. Earlier, an 18-year-old hiker succumbed to heat-related symptoms on the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. In another instance, Jake Whisenant, a skilled rock climber aged 30, died from blunt-force trauma after a fall in Sequoia National Park.
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