More than 20 missing or unaccounted for after Grand Canyon flash flood
More than 20 people may be missing or unaccounted for after a flash flood tore through a remote area of Grand Canyon National Park, where crews have evacuated dozens of hikers and campers, according to officials.
The flooding began at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Bright Angel Canyon and around Phantom Ranch, deep below the canyon rim in northern Arizona, according to the National Park Service (NPS). It damaged trails, bridges, utilities and other facilities, leaving parts of the inner canyon inaccessible.
“The National Park Service is asking the public to provide information for more than 20 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for following a significant flash flood,” the NPS said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
Park officials are trying to account for people who may have been hiking or backpacking along Bright Angel Creek when the flooding began.
The search includes people who were on the North Kaibab Trail between the trailhead and Phantom Ranch, staying at Bright Angel Campground or traveling through “the Box,” a narrow area north of Phantom Ranch.
The NPS earlier said that 62 people were evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower section of the North Kaibab Trail. More people were due to be evacuated from Cottonwood Campground and Phantom Ranch later in the day.
Nearly all footbridges across Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, cutting off pedestrian crossings. Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the North Kaibab Trail, Black Bridge and Silver Bridge remain closed, while debris and metal structures in the Colorado River have forced the closure of the river to boat traffic.
Additional thunderstorms and heavy rain are possible Sunday and Monday, which could cause more flash flooding, debris flows and rockfall. There is no estimated reopening date for the closed areas.
Anyone with information about people who may have been in those areas is asked to contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line at 888-653-0009.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
