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Formosa dies in heat
Pierre Michel Formosa, 68, a French tourist, died in California’s Death Valley National Park after his vehicle became stuck in mud near Queen of Sheba Mine Road on West Side Road, forcing him and a travel companion to walk across salt flats toward Badwater Road to find help.
“Pierre Michel Formosa, 68, and a travel companion also from France were traveling on West Side Road”
Temperatures reached 116 degrees that day, and after walking about 1.3 miles Formosa was unable to continue while his companion kept walking toward Badwater Road.
The companion reached the Furnace Creek Visitor Center shortly after 2 p.m., prompting a search-and-rescue operation by National Park Service rangers and an Inyo County deputy around 2:13 p.m.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter joined the search and later spotted Formosa about 1.5 miles from Badwater Road, where he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Inyo County coroner’s office will determine Formosa’s cause and manner of death, while Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds said, “Our deepest condolences are with the family and friends of the visitor who died.”
Reynolds urges planning
Reynolds framed the death as a sudden shift in conditions, telling reporters, “This is a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly conditions here can turn dangerous.”
The National Park Service said the park’s vast remote areas can have limited or nonexistent cell service, meaning emergency help could be hours away, and it urged visitors to plan routes in advance and tell someone their planned whereabouts.
People’s account also said the Inyo County Coroner’s Office will conduct an investigation to determine Formosa’s exact cause and manner of death after he was found about 1.5 miles from Badwater Road.
Las Vegas Sun described the same sequence, saying rangers and an Inyo County sheriff’s deputy began a search-and-rescue operation around 2:13 p.m. after the companion reported the incident at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center shortly after 2 p.m.
The park’s guidance, as relayed in the coverage, emphasized preparing for extreme heat and limited access to cell service before setting out in Death Valley National Park.
Heat risks and response
The incident occurred in Death Valley National Park, described in the coverage as a desert park that draws visitors despite summer temperatures that routinely exceed 120 degrees.
“In July 2024, a motorcyclist died from heat exposure in the Badwater Basin area”
Las Vegas Sun tied the death to other heat-related fatalities, noting that in July 2024 a motorcyclist died from heat exposure in the Badwater Basin area as the park recorded a high of 128 degrees.
The same report said park officials advise visitors to avoid hiking at low elevations during extreme heat, remain on paved roads, and stay with a disabled vehicle when possible.
People also reported that the NPS encouraged visitors to carry ample water and supplies, including “ample water and supplies” and to bring a way to call for help where cell service may not reach.
Across the accounts, the immediate consequence is that the Inyo County coroner will determine Formosa’s cause and manner of death, while the NPS continues to urge route planning, communication of whereabouts, and preparedness for conditions that can turn dangerous quickly.