On August 5, four people were confirmed dead by the local police after their car broke down in the middle of an unauthorized journey through the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve, a state-level protected area in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Alone in the vast expanse with no water and no cellphone reception, one of the four attempted to walk back the way they had come to fetch help, while the other three waited near the car. All four are believed to have died of dehydration, a member of the rescue team said.

The reserve is one of the three remaining habitats of the wild Bactrian camel, a critically endangered species. Encompassing the dried-up lake bed of Lop Nur and its surrounding deserts, the area makes up one of China's largest no man's lands.

Over the past decade, local authorities have issued notices prohibiting all expeditions and tourist activities in the area. These prohibitions were put in place not only to prevent people from getting lost in sandstorms or being swallowed by shifting sands, but also to protect the endangered camel species from threats imposed by human activities.

However, these potential risks have not stopped curious travelers. To put an end to the expanding list of trespass-related deaths, government officials and local travel agencies should work in tandem to curb unauthorized trips into the forbidden zone.

(People.cn, August 1)