Flash Floods Leave Hikers Missing in Canyon

Search teams in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona are trying to account for at least 15 people after a sudden flood tore through Bright Angel Canyon and wrecked access routes to one of the park’s most isolated lodges.

Officials said Sunday that hikers and backpackers along Bright Angel Creek, as well as guests booked at Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground, may still be in the affected zone. Travellers on the North Kaibab Trail are also being sought. An earlier count had put those unaccounted for at 20 or more.

Sixty-two people had already been brought out of Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail by Sunday morning. More removals from Phantom Ranch and Cottonwood Campground were planned. The lodge, reachable only on foot, by raft or by mule since it opened in 1922, sits near the canyon floor and took the brunt of the water’s force.

The flood destroyed footbridges over Bright Angel Creek, cutting the usual crossing points. Some Colorado River crossings were closed while engineers inspect them, and river traffic was halted because of debris. Park staff said trails, utilities and buildings throughout the canyon were still being surveyed.

The National Park Service asked anyone with information about people who may have been in the area to come forward as the search continues in difficult terrain.