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's Death Valley National Park amid 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."

Formosa's companion continued on and eventually was helped by a passing motorist - who alerted officials at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center at 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.

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

"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."

"This is a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly conditions here can turn dangerous," said Reynolds.

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"Death Valley is an extraordinary place, but its heat, distances and remoteness can be dangerous, regardless of experience."

Fox News Digital reached out to Death Valley National Park and the Inyo County Sheriff's Office for additional information.

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

Earlier this summer, an 18-year-old hiker died after experiencing heat-related symptoms while hiking the Grand Canyon's popular Bright Angel Trail, according to the NPS.

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