Emergency crews are searching for approximately 15 individuals who remain unaccounted for following a severe flash-flood event that struck the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Saturday afternoon. The National Park Service confirmed that 62 people were successfully evacuated from the Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Canyon areas by Sunday morning as the situation unfolded.
The deluge caused significant destruction, sweeping large boulders, metal structures, and heavy debris into the Colorado River. The flooding in Bright Angel Creek, which feeds into the river, resulted in the destruction of footbridges and permanently altered the local geography by widening the creek bed and forming a new river rapid. In response to the damage, officials have closed popular sites including the Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch, and sections of the North Kaibab trail. All rafting excursions on the Colorado River have also been suspended.
Witnesses described a harrowing scene as the weather turned. Parth Desai, who was hiking through a narrow section of Bright Angel Canyon with a group of doctors and a park ranger, recounted the sudden onset of the disaster. “We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere; boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” he stated. Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University, noted that the event serves as a stark “reminder of what a dynamic and active landscape Grand Canyon is.”
The National Park Service is currently coordinating with the Arizona Department of Public Safety to manage the ongoing emergency, with further evacuations anticipated throughout Sunday. While no injuries have been officially reported at this time, the agency has requested that the public provide any relevant information regarding the 15 missing individuals. With more thunderstorms and rain forecast for the region through Monday, authorities remain on high alert as they continue to survey the damage and account for all visitors.
Source: Al Jazeera
