The article reports that two friends, Aran Martinson, 33, and Cassius Newton, 34, died while hiking in extreme heat conditions in the Wadi Naqab region near Dubai on 18 July. The area coroner, Michelle Brown, stated that the provisional causes of death included cardiac and respiratory arrest, exacerbated by severe rising body temperature, organ failure, and heat stress due to exposure to temperatures reaching up to 50°C (122°F). Read more
Martinson and Newton, originally from Essex and Dorset respectively, were residents of the luxury resort of Ras Al Khaimah, approximately 75 miles north of Dubai. They embarked on their trek around 07:00 local time (04:00 BST) on a recreational walking route that did not require climbing equipment. Newton’s wife reported him missing after he failed to contact her following the hike’s commencement. The friends were discovered between 3km and 4km from their vehicle, with their bodies located 350 meters apart, both lying on their backs amidst large rocks. They were subsequently transported to a hospital in Ras Al Khaimah but were pronounced dead later that day. An inquest into their deaths is scheduled for a future date, as announced by the coroner.