- Around 15 people are unaccounted for after flash flooding tore through the Grand Canyon on Saturday afternoon, the National Park Service says.
Park officials initially estimated more than 20 people were missing, but revised that figure to around 15 just before 3 p.m. Sunday.
The update comes after park officials announced that dozens of people had been rescued as of Sunday morning. Significant infrastructure damage has been reported in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch areas.
The National Park Service is asking anyone with information about hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on Aug. 29, or anyone who had a campground reservation in that area, to contact investigators.
That includes anyone who may have been:
Traveling the North Kaibab Trail between the North Kaibab Trailhead and Phantom Ranch
Staying at Bright Angel Campground
Traveling or staying in “the Box,” the area north of Phantom Ranch
Anyone with information is asked to contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch at the tip line by calling 888-653-0009 or emailing [email protected].
When submitting a tip, include whatever details you have on the missing individual — name, last known location, travel plans, group size, and a description of their clothing or backpack. Tipsters can remain anonymous; providing your own name is optional.
The flooding began around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Park Service.
By Sunday morning, rescuers had airlifted 62 people out of Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.
Additional evacuations were scheduled for Sunday morning at Cottonwood Campground and Phantom Ranch, coordinated by the Park Service and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Evacuees are being taken to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria on the South Rim, where the American Red Cross is providing assistance.
Closures in effect
The following areas are closed until further notice:
Phant
