A teenage boy visiting Yellowstone National Park was seriously burned when his foot broke through the ground near a geyser by the infamous Old Faithful, officials said.

A 17-year-old boy visiting Yellowstone National Park was seriously burned after he stepped on a piece of land near a geyser and his foot broke through the ground's thin crust, causing "significant" injury to his foot and ankle.

The incident occurred on Monday morning when the boy was on a hike in the thermal area of the park in the vicinity of the Lone Star Geyser near Old Faithful when his foot broke through the thin crust and he suffered significant thermal burns to his foot and ankle, according to a statement from the National Park Service.