Two campers were found dead in their tent Wednesday morning by hikers south of the Maroon Bells parking lot, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

Initial indications suggest the deaths were caused by a lightning strike, but official causes of death will be released at a later time by the Pitkin County Coroner’s Office once an autopsy has been performed, according to a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office reported that two juveniles associated with the deceased were walking toward the Maroon Bells parking lot on their own and were located by rescuers and taken to Aspen Valley Hospital for evaluation.

Rescuers discovered the bodies of an adult male and juvenile male inside a tent at the campsite, south of West Maroon Pass at about 11,000 feet.

The call came in at 9:53 a.m. to the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center. The Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Rescue Aspen, Aspen Ambulance and Flight For Life Colorado responded.

Mountain Rescue Aspen members recovered the bodies of the two individuals with the help of Flight For Life, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Paramedics from Aspen Ambulance took the bodies to Aspen Valley Hospital.

Officials were notifying family members of the two deceased campers.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds hikers and campers to be aware of Colorado’s suddenly changing weather, especially in the backcountry, and to take appropriate actions to protect themselves.

LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS

No place outside is safe during thunderstorms; if you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.

That means you should move to safe shelter – a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up. Remain there at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.

How to reduce your risk outdoors during a lightning storm:

– Get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks;

– Crouch tightly on balls of your feet (do not remove shoes) and keep your hands off the ground;

– Never lie flat on the ground;

– Never shelter under an isolated tree;

– If in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees;

– Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter;

– Get out of and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water;

– Stay away from objects that conduct electricity, such as barbed wire fences, wet items (such as ropes) power lines and windmills;

– If in a group, spread out to avoid current traveling from one person to another; and

– If camping, set up in a valley, ravine or other low area. A tent offers no protection from lightning.

If Lightning Strikes

– Even if the heart stops, CPR works more often after lightning strikes than after many causes of heart stoppage, such as heart attacks. So if you’re administering CPR, don’t give up easily.

– Lightning strikes kill people about 10 percent of the time; of those who survive, many develop long-term disabilities. Possible long-term problems include loss of short-term memory, trouble thinking or concentrating, dizziness, headaches, irritability and depression.

Sources: National Weather Service, National Outdoor Leadership School.

Backpackers hike near Maroon Bells. (The Gazette file)