A deadly flash flood struck parts of Grand Canyon National Park on Saturday afternoon, killing one person and leaving at least 14 others missing or unaccounted for, the National Park Service said.
The NPS confirmed Sunday evening that one person had been recovered from the Colorado River, though the identity of the deceased has not been released publicly.
As of Sunday morning, 62 people had been evacuated from the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch areas following what park officials described as a “significant” flash flood event.
Flooding began in Bright Angel Canyon at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, forcing the National Park Service to conduct air evacuations from the Phantom Ranch area.
The floodwaters swept large boulders, metal structures, and other debris into the Colorado River, while also destroying a footbridge, leaving only stone bridge pylons standing along Bright Angel Creek.
The NPS called on anyone with knowledge of hikers or backpackers who were in the Bright Angel Canyon or Phantom Ranch areas on Saturday afternoon to contact park authorities immediately.
Authorities are specifically searching for individuals who may have been on the North Kaibab Trail, staying at Bright Angel Campground, or traveling through the area north of Phantom Ranch known as “the Box.”
Erica Viola, who was at Bright Angel Campground when the flooding began, said she and roughly 50 other hikers watched the creek rise rapidly before debris, including what appeared to be a bunkhouse, began flowing past them.
“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere; boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” one witness told the Associated Press, describing the scale of destruction.
Evacuees were transported to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria on the South Rim, where the American Red Cross set up assistance operations for those displaced by the disaster.
The NPS said Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins, and the entire North Kaibab Trail from the trailhead to Phantom Ranch are closed until further notice.
“Grand Canyon National Park staff, in coordination with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, are continuing evacuation and response efforts and working to account for individuals who may have been in the affected area,” the NPS said in a statement.
No timetable has been given for the reopening of blocked roads, and officials warned that additional areas within the inner canyon may face further closures.
Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, offered broader context, telling the AP: “This is a reminder of what a dynamic and active landscape Grand Canyon is.”
