Grand Canyon flash flooding left one person dead and 15 people missing, with evacuation efforts still underway, park officials have confirmed. In the early hours of Saturday morning, a series of storms hit the Grand Canyon area and unleashed flash floods.
The flash flooding that began at around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 29, has swept through the national park, causing large-scale damage to footbridges. The flooding has forced park officials to order evacuations for dozens of stranded hikers and campers.
A 46-year-old man's body was recovered after he drowned in the flash flooding near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, Grand Canyon park officials said on Sunday, August 30. The flooding has also damaged the water pipeline, which serves as the main water supply to tourists at the national park, officials added.
This could have ripple effects for visitors arriving at the park ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend. The damaged pipeline supplies drinking and firefighting water for all facilities on the South Rim, an area known for its large concentration of hiking trails, scenic landscapes, lodging, and tourist services. Evacuation efforts were conducted on Sunday, August 30, through helicopter searches along the North Kaibab Trail and the Colorado River from the mouth of Bright Angel Creek to Deer Creek Narrows, though these have not yet located the missing individuals.