Man gets third-degree burns from walking on sand dunes in Death Valley

European visitor rushed to hospital after briefly walking barefoot in California national park amid extreme heat

A European visitor got third-degree burns on his feet while briefly walking barefoot on the sand dunes in California's Death Valley national park over the weekend, park rangers said Thursday.

The rangers said the visitor was rushed to a hospital in nearby Nevada. Because of language issues, the rangers said they were not immediately able to determine whether the 42-year-old Belgian's flip-flops had somehow been broken or were lost at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes during a short Saturday walk.