Tourist’s skin ‘melts’ in extreme heat on Death Valley sand dunes

He was flown to hospital

The unnamed 42-year-old from Belgium had been visiting the national park on Saturday when he is said to have lost his shoes during a short walk.

He had reportedly been wearing flip flops on the dunes, and either ended up losing the footwear or it broke.

When his bare feet touched the scorching surface of the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, he suffered third-degree burns and had to be carried of the dunes by others in his group.

He then received treatment at a ranger station.

“The skin was melted off his foot,” Death Valley National Park Service Ranger Gia Ponce told the LA Times. “The ground can be much hotter — 170, 180 (degrees). Sometimes up into the 200 range.”

“People think it’s going to be like the beach where you can get out there with flip-flops or sandals, but because of the extreme temperatures, those dunes heat up just as much as the pavement does,” Ponce said.

Death Valley is famous for being the hottest place on Earth, and temperatures are only increasing in the region as a result of climate change.

Earlier this month, an individual died when temperatures hit 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53C).

Death Valley is also the location where the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was logged. In 1913, the air temperature reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.6C), according to the National Park Service.

After being assessed for his injuries, the Belgian tourist was transported via ambulance to a helicopter pick-up spot, where he was flown to hospital.