9 deadly places that are incredibly attractive for tourists from all over the world
'02.11.2020'
Source: "T-F"
"T — Zh" talks about nine places with a bad reputation that attract tourists. Three of them are in the United States.
Yellowstone National Park in the USA
Tourists travel to Yellowstone Park to see geysers, mud volcano, lakes, waterfalls and thermal springs. And also - to look at animals in their natural habitat. Foxes, cougars, bears, bison, moose, otters, squirrels, beavers, and bats live here.
In this picturesque park, travelers face dangers: they can fall prey to a predator or die in an acid pool or hot pond where the water temperature reaches 121 ºC.
The administration asks tourists to comply with safety rules: do not leave walking trails, keep a distance from wild animals and carry a special spray that scares away bears.
Since 1870, 22 people have died in the park, including seven children. Over the past 20 years, there have been only two such cases. In 2000, an employee of the park died, who, together with her friends, decided to swim in the lake. She confused an ordinary stream with a hot pool and died a few hours later from severe burns. Her companions survived, but for months they recovered their health in the hospital. In 2016, 23-year-old Colin Scott went to the pond to check the temperature. The tourist slipped and fell - he could not be saved. Not even a body was left: rescuers could not immediately get the corpse out of the water, and the next day it dissolved in an acid source.
Rangers every year rescue tourists who enter the danger zone. Some visitors get burned. For example, in 2006, a six-year-old boy from Utah fell into hot water: fortunately, he survived. And in 2016, a 13-year-old teenager suffered burns. He was taken to the hospital.
Jacob's Well in the USA
Jacob's Well is an artesian spring in Texas about 40 m deep, shaped like a well. He goes through silted caves. The length of the main cave system is almost 1,4 km.
The attraction itself is not dangerous: you can swim and take beautiful selfies near the well. But diving is very risky: in the past, some divers paid for it with their lives. Now only professional explorers are allowed to dive into the caves.
This does not stop the extreme. In 2015, a 21-year-old traveler from San Antonio recounted how he nearly died while diving. He dived without an oxygen tank and claims to have reached the entrance to the third chamber of the well. Extreme filmed the process on video, and commentators argue how deep he actually swam.
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The path to the "magic bus" in Alaska in the USA
For several years, tourists walked through Alaska to take pictures in front of the old rusty bus. This tradition seems strange if you don't know the background. The pilgrimage to the bus began after the release of the film Into the Wild, which is based on the book of the same name. The works tell the real story of Christopher McCandless - a successful young man from a wealthy family who decided to give up everything he had, give money to charity, become an ascetic and go on a journey to live in wild conditions.
Christopher took odd jobs and called himself Alexander Supertramp. Wanderings brought him to Alaska. There he found an abandoned bus and settled in it. In Alaska, Christopher hunted, looked for edible plants and kept a diary.
In 1996, a book about Christopher was published, and in 2007 - a film. Some tourists were inspired by the history and philosophy of the traveler and risked their lives to get to the iconic bus. Since 2009, authorities have had to organize 15 rescue operations to free would-be followers. Sometimes the stories ended tragically. For example, an actress from Belarus died on the way to the bus last year.
To stop the reckless pilgrimage, in June 2020, the bus was moved to a different location, which was not disclosed. Now it is planned to be placed in a museum.
Beaches in Recife in Brazil
The Brazilian city of Recife has beautiful beaches. For example, Boa Viazhem has fine, clean sand, warm water, and there are coral reefs nearby. But there are warning notices on the coast: visitors are asked not to enter the open sea because of the sharks.
Since 1992, on the beaches of Recife, sharks have attacked people 60 times. In 2013, despite the help provided, an 18-year-old girl died from predator bites. In 2018, on one of the beaches, a shark tore off a tourist's leg.
The risk of attack by predators increases when the water becomes cloudy due to rain: then sharks blindly rush at anything that moves.
Danakil Desert in Ethiopia
In the Danakil Desert, you can see relief flows of solidified lava, salt deposits of an unusual shape, volcanoes, poisonous green and yellow lakes. The African desert is like another planet and this attracts tourists.
Danakil is the hottest place on earth. The average annual temperature reaches +34,4 ° C. In summer, the thermometer stays at around +40 ° C - heat can negatively affect health. The desert is also dangerous with poisonous fumes and acidic lakes. In some of them, the water temperature reaches 100 ° C.
Travelers died in Dananil not from poisonous fumes: they were kidnapped and killed by terrorists. In 2012, five European tourists were killed and two were kidnapped. In 2017, a traveler from Germany was killed and her guide was injured.
Death Valley in Russia
The natural "gas mine" is located in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka, at the foot of the Kikhpinych volcano. It is no more than 2 km long. The Death Valley was made by poisonous gases that are destructive to all living things: high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, carbon disulfide, carbon dioxide. Having breathed these gases, animals die.
The researchers drew attention to Death Valley when they saw a large animal cemetery here: among the corpses there were 12 species of mammals and 13 species of birds. Since the valley opened in 1975, 25 bears have died here. Dead foxes, wolverines, wolves and other animals are constantly found on the territory.
Unlike Yellowstone, there have been no deaths or poisonings in the Valley. But some researchers and photographers have experienced the effects of poisonous gases: headaches, respiratory failure and an unpleasant taste in the mouth. All symptoms disappeared as soon as we moved away from the Valley.
You can see Death Valley during a helicopter or regular excursion.
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Blue hole in Egypt
The Blue Hole is a 130-meter underwater cave in the Red Sea. It is adored by divers and freedivers. At the depth of the cave there is a passage - an arch through which you can swim.
One of the reasons for the death of a diver can be nitrogen narcosis: at a depth, nitrogen acts on the body like a drug. A person experiences a strange euphoria and does not fully realize what he is doing. His brain functions slow down and the person may even pass out. Local divers advise even experienced scuba divers to take a training course with a mentor before diving. Diving instructor Yury Lipsky died here in 2000. In 2017, Irish freediving coach Stephen Keenan died while diving. He accompanied the Italian athlete.
On a rock near the Blue Hole, a spontaneous memorial has been created with tablets in memory of the dead divers. Accurate statistics of victims are not kept. Local divers estimate that about 200 people have died during the dives.
Madidi National Park in Bolivia
Madidi is a park with rich flora and fauna. Here you can watch monkeys and jaguars, swim with pink dolphins, see colorful parrots and exotic flowers.
Poisonous plants and wild animals pose a threat to travelers. Predators do not consider tourists a delicacy, but they may well attack in self-defense. You should also be careful with piranhas, leeches, spiders and snakes.
Travel guides recommend taking plenty of mosquito repellent for your trip. They carry malaria and yellow fever, so it's worth getting vaccinated before traveling.
Tourists explore the forests with experienced guides: being in the jungle alone is deadly. In 2017, a 25-year-old tourist fell behind the group in the woods and got lost. The search for the traveler lasted nine days. The rangers thought he was already dead, but in the end they found the tourist. He was wounded, emaciated and covered in insect bites. The man said that a group of monkeys saved him: they shared fruit with him and helped him find water.
Festival of San Fermin in Spain
The annual San Fermin Festival hosts a joint run of bulls and humans at 875 meters. It takes place every morning from 7 to 14 July. People from all over the world come to the event. Anyone over the age of 18 can participate free of charge. The organizers advise you to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. They also urge those who have spent the night at a drunken party or are not feeling well not to go to the race. Drunk runners are not allowed to participate.
The organizers say that the risks for the participants are small, but they are still there. Each bull weighs half a ton, it can injure and even tear the runner to pieces. During the entire period of the festivals, 16 deaths were recorded. Participants constantly receive minor abrasions and bruises.
