Tourists head to Death Valley to feel record heat: ‘People warned me about coming here’

Hundreds of tourists and adventurers are being drawn to Death Valley National Park, even though the desolate region known as one of the Earth’s hottest places is being punished by a dangerous heatwave.

The scorching temperatures have been blamed for a motorcyclist’s death over the weekend, but that hasn’t stopped some from flocking to the area.

Andrea Karunanayake, visiting from Riverside, California, was warned not to come but couldn’t resist the allure of the record-breaking heat.

“Honestly, it’s definitely shocking. I don’t know how anything can survive out here,” she said.

Death Valley temperatures have reached a near-record 128F (53.3C) in recent days and could be set to break a century-old record-high for the region of 134F (56.6C).