One person has died and at least 14 others remain missing or unaccounted for in the Grand Canyon after a severe flash flood occurred over the weekend, officials reported Sunday.
Air evacuations continued Sunday afternoon following a "significant flash flood" on Saturday that inundated campgrounds and hiking trails at the bottom of the national park. The Grand Canyon National Park Service confirmed Sunday evening that one deceased individual was recovered from the river within the park. The identity of the deceased has not yet been released.
The park service is requesting information from anyone who knows hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, or who had campground reservations in the affected area. The National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB) is collecting this information.
Earlier on Sunday, park officials stated that more than 20 people were missing and 62 individuals were evacuated by air from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail, which were impacted by the flash flood.
Evacuees were transported to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria on the South Rim, where the American Red Cross is providing assistance. No injuries were reported at the time.
The flood also damaged the park's water pipeline, necessitating significant water conservation measures. These include a ban on overnight hotel stays starting Monday, with only campground bathroom faucets remaining operational. Multiple campgrounds and trails are closed indefinitely, and there is no estimated reopening date for the affected areas.
Grand Canyon National Park staff, in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, are continuing air evacuation efforts. The park may experience additional thunderstorms and heavy rainfall on Sunday and Monday, which could lead to further flash flooding, debris flows, and rockfalls.
The flash flooding began around 2:30 p.m. local time on Saturday in the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch areas, popular destinations for visitors. The event caused extensive damage to infrastructure, destroying nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek and cutting off hiker access across the waterway. Videos from the scene show mudflows and debris from structures being carried down the Colorado River.
One witness, Erica Viola, described evacuating from Bright Angel Campground with her husband, Scott Svedin, losing most of her belongings. She recounted park rangers instructing campers to run to the nearest bridge for safety as water levels rose rapidly. She described a "15-foot wall of water" that swept through the campground in Phantom Ranch, destroying bridges as people scrambled to escape.
Viola and Svedin reported seeing debris, including bunkhouses, barbecue grills, ice chests, and even an excavator, floating down the Colorado River.