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Gruesome hot spring death highlights problems at Yellowstone

Rangers have suspended recovery attempts after a man fell into a hot spring in Norris Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park.

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Scott received his Associate of Arts degree at Rogue Community College in OR, according to his Linkedin account, then earned his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Pacific University.

Colin Nathaniel Scott, 23, was seen by his sister on Tuesday slipping and plunging into the hot spring near Pork Chop Geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin after straying some 225 yards from a wooden boardwalk created to prevent such accidents, according to park spokesman Morgan Warthin.

Rangers confirmed that the victim in Tuesday’s accident, Nathaniel Scott, had died and his body had yet to be recovered.

At least 22 people are known to have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around Yellowstone since 1890, park officials said.

Authorities called off the recovering effort for Scott’s remains on Wednesday, saying the acid in the hot spring had completely destroyed his body.

The accident was reported by Mr Scott’s sister, who was walking with him at the time.

Only some personal possessions were recovered at the popular attraction, where water temperatures can reach 199 degrees.

She said that he worked there for about 20 months fielding questions from visitors, and his stint ended previous year.

More so than bear maulings or cliff falls, being burnt alive in a hot spring is perhaps the most horrifying way to die in Yellowstone.

On June 6, a father and son suffered burns when they walked off the designated trail in the Upper Geyser Basin.

The crust that makes up the ground in parts of Yellowstone is formed when underground minerals dissolved by the high-temperature water are redeposited on or near the surface.

Park spokesman Charissa Reid said: “It’s very fragile rock and can be thin as a skiff of ice”.

In May, a Canadian film crew was accused of leaving an established boardwalk and stepping onto a geothermal feature where they snapped photos and took video of themselves.

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Last month, a Canadian tourist put a bison calf into his auto boot in Yellowstone as he was anxious it looked cold. The travelers were arrested and ticketed, but the calf later had to be euthanized after park officials tried unsuccessfully to reunite the animal with its herd.

Recovery Effort Underway In Yellowstone After Person Falls In Hot Spring