At least two deaths have been reported after a significant flash flood hit parts of Grand Canyon National Park, park officials said Monday. Authorities earlier said about 15 people were unaccounted for and may be missing, with search and recovery efforts still underway.
The flood struck the national park on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., prompting the evacuation of at least 62 people from the area by air. Preliminary assessments show about 40 percent of the Transcanyon Waterline was damaged or destroyed, a statement said.
Officials said a rescue operation Sunday near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River recovered the body of a 46-year-old man. Another recovery operation Monday uncovered a second body. No further details have been released.
Amid already tricky terrain and ongoing heavy-rain forecasts, search efforts continued Monday. But accurately tallying who may be missing has been a challenge, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
At the time of the flooding, there were National Park Service staffers, employees for the concessionaires that run cabins and restaurants, backpackers, day hikers and campers in the affected area, according to the person.
Permits record people seeking to use the campgrounds or those going into the remote backcountry of the park, but many people do not use them and don’t call ahead to cancel, making it difficult to track who might be out there.
Witnesses have told park authorities that they saw people being washed away. So responders are currently trying to confirm those accounts and where the people may have been swept to, the person said. More fatalities may still be reported, the person said.
Earlier this year, the Interior Department issued internal guidance restricting Park Service staff and other employees from discussing fatalities and serious injuries in parks.
The National Park Service is asking the public for any information about hikers or backpackers who were in the affected parts of the canyon or anyone who had a campground reservation there.
In various Facebook groups for Grand Canyon hikers and adventurers, people described waiting to hear from friends and relatives who were unaccounted for.
A group of three friends was in the vicinity of Phantom Ranch or Ribbon Falls when the flood hit, according to comments shared in private groups. As of Monday morning, there was still no update on the group’s whereabouts.
Other hikers posted stories of narrowly missing the raging river, getting up to Havasupai Gardens Campground, which is along the Bright Angel Trail, just before the rush of muddy water swept through.
One person shared a video of a helicopter rescuing his hiking group, airlifting them from the bottom of the canyon. He was staying at Phantom Ranch cabins, the only lodging in the belly of the Grand Canyon, which can only be reached by foot, watercraft or mule. “My understanding is everyone was accounted for and safe at Phantom Ranch,” the post said.
Arizona is no stranger to flash floods during its monsoon season. Officials also noted that ongoing weather may affect the timing and pace of further search and recovery operations.
Last summer, lightning ignited a mega blaze known as the Dragon Bravo on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and destroyed about 70 structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. The burn scar from that fire in the Bright Angel area and other canyon drainages may have affected the steep and rocky terrain, enabling more extreme flooding.
The fire “intersected several critical watershed areas,” the Park Service said in a February report. Modeling showed runoff increases two to eight times the normal amount upstream of Phantom Creek.
The Park Service added that “infrastructure at these locations has been designed to be above modeled floodplains.”
As part of a series of updates about the state of the canyon, the Park Service said the Dragon Bravo fire impacted a collection of key watersheds that drain into the Colorado River.
Some of these drainages are more than 13 miles long, the agency said, “and while rain at the top of the rim can take two to four hours to reach the river, flooding near or within the burn scar can happen in a matter of minutes.”
An increased risk of flash floods and/or debris flow is likely in these locations during monsoons or other big storms, the Park Service said. With steep, rocky terrain, runoff can trigger flash flooding in a matter of minutes as well as fast-moving, destructive slides that can travel fast for miles down stream.
“Visitors should exercise extreme caution in all affected watersheds during monsoon season, as burned areas are more prone to flash flooding and debris flows,” the agency said.
In late August 2024, a woman was killed after a flash flood swept through the Havasu Canyon area of the park. Other hikers were stranded, prompting rescue efforts.
Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins, and the entire North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch remain closed until further notice. Visitors are urged to stay out of these areas.
From Arizona to Utah and western Colorado, flood watches remained in effect as the threat of heavy rain continued Monday.
“Flash flooding will be possible in creeks, normally dry washes, swimming holes, and over recently burned areas. Raging killer currents will be possible in side canyons and narrow slot canyons. Low-water crossings may be flooded,” wrote the National Weather Service in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Ben Noll and Mariana Alfaro contributed to this report.
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