A French couple died while hiking in New Mexico鈥檚 White Sands National Monument last Tuesday, but their nine-year-old son survived, . David and Ornella Steiner,聽of Bourgogne, France, were visiting the Southwest with their son. The trio聽hiked into the shadeless desert of sand dunes off Highway 70, between Las Cruces and Alamogordo, where they suffered from heat exhaustion. Rangers say they discovered the son in decent shape聽while on a routine patrol last Tuesday.
鈥淭he parents would take a drink, give him two drinks. They would take a drink, give him two drinks,鈥 Otero County Sheriff Benny House told CNN affiliate KVIA. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure that鈥檚 a contributing factor on how he fared so well.鈥
Officials at White Sands have urged visitors to carry one gallon of water per person when hiking in the desert. The couple was carrying two 20-ounce water bottles when they began their hike on the Alkali Flat Trail聽shortly after midday, . Ornella appears to have separated from the group and turned back, only to collapse about 100 yards away, while David, likely unaware that she was in trouble, collapsed about 2,000 feet down the trail.聽
After being treated for dehydration at a local hospital, the Steiners鈥 son was reunited with relatives, including his grandmother, who arrived in Albuquerque on Thursday.