UK woman dies in Australian heat

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Police are investigating the death of a British tourist thought to have suffered heat exhaustion while hiking in Western Australia.

The 54-year-old woman from Lancashire, who has not been named, collapsed on a walk with her partner through gorges in the Kalbarri National Park.

Australian police said recorded temperatures on Wednesday reached 40C, and were higher in direct sunlight.

They expect to formally identify the woman once her family has been told.

The couple had been on the Loop Walk Trail about two miles from their car when the woman fell ill, police said.

We don't know whether she collapsed because of some medical condition or because of the heat Western Australia Police spokesman

Her partner drove to the local airport to call an ambulance but when they arrived at the scene, she was already dead.

The results of a post-mortem examination have not been released.

A Western Australia Police spokesman said: "We don't know whether she collapsed because of some medical condition or because of the heat.

"The temperatures were pretty high in the area at the time. It would have been between 35C and 40C (95F to 104F), but outside it was probably a lot hotter."

The Foreign Office said: "We are aware that a British national died on February 13 near Kalbarri."

It said consular staff in Perth were providing assistance.

Tourists are drawn to the Kalbarri National Park, almost 600km north of Perth, by its gorges and the rugged coastal scenery.