Woman dies in national park of hypothermia after husband tried to get help

Married couple were caught in extreme weather in Utah’z Zion National Park

A woman has died of hypothermia while her husband was rescued after they were caught in extreme cold weather in Utah’s Zion National Park, officials say.

The couple, who have not been identified, set out to walk a 16 mile (25km) track known as the Narrows on Tuesday, the National Park Service said in a statement.

The man, 33, told authorities they encountered dangerously cold temperatures and both began to develop hypothermia.

He set off in search of help early Wednesday morning and came across a group of hikers, who alerted the park rangers and went to assist his wife.

Search and rescue teams were dispatched and found the woman, 31, unresponsive near the Virgin River.

“First responders administered emergency aid, but they determined she was deceased,” the National Park Service said.

Search and rescue teams found a woman unresponsive and suffering from hypothermia in Zion National Park (file photo) (NPS / Jonathan Shafer)

The park service said hikers had earlier located the woman and attempted to give her CPR.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Utah Office of the Medical Examiner and the National Park Service are investigating the cause of the woman’s death.

The Narrows is one of the most popular hiking trails in the park, and passes through a narrow gorge in the Zion Canyon with walls 1,000 feet tall (300m).

Water levels fluctuate depending on rainfall and snow melt, and the area frequently closes due to flash flooding warnings.

Temperatures fell to 28F (-2C) overnight on Wednesday.