Car with five people inside plunges into hot acidic lake at national park

The water temperature would have been around 41°C, said park officials.

A car containing five people plunged into a hot acidic lake in the US and disappeared under the surface.

The driver lost control of the SUV while in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, causing the vehicle to leave the road and drive into the semi-centennial geyser thermal pool.

The temperature in the water would have been around 41°C at the time, according to a news release from the park.

All five people managed to get out of the car on their own and were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The accident happened near Roaring Mountain at around 10.40am on Thursday and saw the car ‘fully submerged’, the release said.

The road was closed by law enforcement rangers for around two hours on Friday while the vehicle was lifted out of the lake.

Officials are investigating the incident and said they had no further details to give at this time.

The geyser has been inactive since 1922, when it experienced a series of eruptions so powerful water was reportedly ejected more than 300 feet (91 metres) into the air, according to website IFL Science.

There are more than 10,000 hydrothermal pools in Yellowstone Park, including the world’s greatest concentrations of geysers.

It also features hot springs, mudpots and steam vents.

The hydrothermal system exists thanks to Yellowstone volcano and the underlying partially molten magma that releases ‘tremendous heat’, the park’s website explains.

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