Tourists stranded without food or water in Arizona desert as temperatures drop, cops say
A pair of tourists ended up stranded in the Arizona desert while driving a side-by-side through soft sand, officials said.
A shovel — and shifting the utility task vehicle into four-wheel drive — got them out, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue said in an Oct. 23 post on Facebook.
The two women, both from Idaho, called for help after they got stuck in the sand about five miles outside of Mesquite, Nevada, in Arizona, officials said in the post.
They didn’t have any food, water, recovery gear or warmer clothing, and they were getting cold as desert temperatures dropped, officials said.
After they shifted the side-by-side into four-wheel drive, search and rescue officials were able to help them to safety by wedging a shovel under one of the wheels, officials said.
“Search and Rescue wants to remind everyone when recreating in the remote and rugged wilderness areas of Mohave County to travel in groups with multiple vehicles, bring plenty of supplies (such as food, water and even shelter) and have the necessary tools that may be needed to assist the continuation of your trip (spare tires, extra belts, shovels, and so forth),” officials said.
In comments on the post, some seemed to imply the scenario tends to be a common occurrence this time of year.
“Tis the season for people going out into the desert unprepared,” someone said.
“So it begins…” another person said.
Several people also seemed incredulous about the four-wheel drive detail.
“Putting it in 4X4??” someone said. “Please be prepared and KNOW your vehicle.”
Mesquite, Nevada, is just across the Arizona-Nevada border, about 75 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
This story was originally published October 24, 2023 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Tourists stranded without food or water in Arizona desert as temperatures drop, cops say."
