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A 26-year-old man has died of suspected dehydration after a hiking trip in the popular tourist spot, Nature's Window, in Western Australia's Mid West region.
- WA police said they believed the man may have died of dehydration
- A report is being prepared for the coroner
- A local State Emergency Service representative urged hikers to prepare for the effects of heat, dehydration and exertion
The Northam man was with friends when he collapsed not long after completing a hike in Kalbarri National Park to Nature's Window, about 485 kilometres north of Perth.
WA police said they believed the man may have succumbed to dehydration.
Emergency services and St John's Ambulance were called to the area just after 1:00pm when a friend of the man raised the alarm.
"He had just done the 8km walk and he collapsed just before Nature's Window — he was almost back to the beginning because the loop starts and finishes at the same point — he felt unwell and that was it," local manager at the Kalbarri State Emergency Service, Steve Cable, said.
He said the heat could quickly turn deadly for those unprepared.
"The thing about Kalbarri where people fall apart is, that whatever temperatures are in town … and it was quite warm, 31 degrees, today but out there it can be anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees hotter."
Mr Cable said failing take the heat, exertion and dehydration into consideration could have tragic consequences.
"Often they don't wear the right attire, they don't have enough water …they try and push it too far and they don't do their homework as far as conditions go," Mr Cable said.
He said that while the recent incident was tragic, many make the journey safely.
"You can do it, you can do it quite safely and comfortably but you have to pick your times and you have to be prepared," Mr Cable said.
"It's a great walk and it's a great adventure but you just have to be smart about it."
The circumstances of the man's death are not yet known, nor whether the man had a pre-existing medical condition.
A report is being prepared for the coroner.
Topics: disasters-and-accidents, accidents, safety, kalbarri-national-park-6536, wa, australia
First posted