Three people hiking at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona died within a week from what appears to be heat-related illnesses as temperatures soared above 100 degrees, officials said.

The deaths happened in two separate cases, the National Park Service said in a news release on Friday.

On Tuesday, the authorities found a 67-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman dead on the North Kaibab Trail.

This route is among the most difficult inner canyon trails in the Grand Canyon National Park, according to the park service.

On June 12, a 72-year-old man died on the South Kaibab Trail, officials said.

The footpath offers panoramic views “unparalleled” from any other trail, according to the park service, though the route has little shade and no access to water.

The victims’ identities have not been publicly released.

Earlier this month, an 18-year-old man died at the park after he experienced what authorities called heat-related symptoms.

“Hiking in Grand Canyon can be a challenge for anyone, especially during the heat of summer,” the park service said in the news release. “The recent increase in heat-related incidents comes as summer temperatures in the Inner Canyon have reached dangerous levels, creating conditions that can quickly overwhelm hikers during the hottest parts of the day.”

The Grand Canyon National Park’s temperatures vary as the elevation changes. Hikers face hotter elements as they trek toward the ravine’s bottom.

“It’s almost like hiking a mountain in reverse,” said Justin Johndrow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff, Arizona.

It was not clear at what elevation the authorities found the hikers or what time of day they walked each route. A representative for the park service did not immediately return a request for comment on Saturday.

The temperature on the days the last two hikers were found was above normal but the readings were not out of the ordinary, Johndrow said.

The high temperatures, recorded at the bottom of the canyon, were 112 degrees on Tuesday, and 109 degrees on June 12, he said. The average temperature for the date was 103 degrees on Tuesday, and 101 degrees on June 12, Johndrow said.

“It’s definitely normal for it to be hot in that area this time of year,” Johndrow said.

The National Park Service recommends recreationists refrain from hiking between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when typically the temperatures soar.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Ishani Desai/John Burcham
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