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Parents lost in desert ‘gave their lives to save son’

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A French tourist couple who died during a 38 degree afternoon hike in a US desert probably saved their son’s life.

The nine-year-old was found dehydrated but in good shape when found last week, leading rangers to believe he had been given the lion’s share of their water supply, The Guardian reported.

David Steiner, 42, and his wife, Ornella Steiner, 51 were holidaying in Alamogordo, New Mexico from the small French town of Bourgogne when they went for a hike around lunchtime last Tuesday.

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Signs in multiple languages warn tourists of the harsh heat on the unprotected White Sands National Monument trail, suggesting walkers bring 3.8 litres of water each when hiking in summer.

The family was only carrying two half-litre bottles between them, leading a pre-autopsy report to conclude the pair probably died of heat-related causes.

Park rangers found the boy’s mother dead on the trail during a routine patrol, before discovering the boy alive and well with father’s dead body an hour later.

Otero County Sheriff Benny House believed the couple might have given the boy two sips of water for every one they had.

“That may be why he fared so well, is he was a lot smaller and probably had twice as much water,” Mr House said. “He was well hydrated, compared to the other two.”

According to the young boy, the mother complained she felt ill and had a leg injury about two kilometres into the walk and had turned back by herself.

The boy and his father continued to walk in the 38 degree heat until the father collapsed a short while after.

The crystalline White Sands trail has no vegetation and ends at the edge of an ancient dry lake bed.

The boy’s grandmother flew to Albuquerque to be with him on Thursday.

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