Piece of human foot found in pool in Yellowstone National Park

A piece of a human foot has been found in a hot spring in Yellowstone, the US National Park said on Friday, as it is investigating the circumstances of the death.

A part of the foot, which was in a shoe, was discovered Tuesday by an agent in "Abyss Pool", one of the deepest natural pools of hot water (60°C) in the park.

The first elements of the investigation carried out by the park police

specifies the press release.

'Not a criminal act'

“At this point, the park believes this is not a foul play.

The investigation is continuing to determine the circumstances of the death

,” added the park.

This is not the first tragic accident in this mythical national park in the American West, the oldest in the country.

In 2016, a young man died after falling from a footbridge into another hot spring and last year two people suffered similar serious burns.

The authorities once again reminded visitors to stay on the paths and to

near geothermal spaces.

Yellowstone National Park, larger than most French departments and straddling the states of Wyoming, Idaho and Montana (northwest), welcomed 4.8 million visitors in 2021. The park is known for its geothermal activity and concentrates about half of the active geysers in the world.