Approximately 15 people may be missing or unaccounted for after a significant flash flood tore through part of Grand Canyon National Park on Saturday, prompting evacuations and causing extensive damage to trails and bridges.
The flooding hit Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area beginning around 2:30 p.m. PT Saturday, according to the National Park Service. Park officials and the Arizona Department of Public Safety continued evacuation and response efforts Sunday while working to determine who may have been in the affected area.
As of Sunday morning, 62 people had been evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail. Additional evacuations were planned from Cottonwood Campground and Phantom Ranch.
No injuries had been reported as of Sunday morning.
The NPS is asking for information about hikers and backpackers who may have been traveling along the Bright Angel Creek corridor when the flooding occurred. That includes people on the North Kaibab Trail between the North Kaibab Trailhead and Phantom Ranch, those staying at Bright Angel Campground and anyone who may have been in an area north of Phantom Ranch known as “the Box.”
Authorities are asking people with information to contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch Tip Line. Officials are seeking details including names, approximate locations, travel plans, group sizes, clothing or backpack descriptions and when individuals were last known to be in the area.
The flood caused “significant impacts to infrastructure” throughout Bright Angel Canyon, according to the park.
“Nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, eliminating hiker access across the creek. Grand Canyon National Park staff are continuing to assess damage to trails, bridges, utilities, facilities and other infrastructure,” the park’s communications office said.
The black and silver bridges crossing the Colorado River were closed following the flooding. Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins were also closed, along with the entire North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch.
Those closures will remain in place until further notice.
David Gregory told CNN he was hiking with a small group when the flooding hit. He said officials eventually evacuated the group by helicopter and took them to a local high school before arranging hotel accommodations for the night.
“We realized the creek near camp was black with debris and flowing rapidly,” Gregory told CNN.
Evacuees were being transported to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria, according to the NPS.
Later Sunday, park officials announced that all park concessions were halting overnight lodging, including at Maswik Lodge. The park will remain open for day use.
Bright Angel Trail is the park’s most popular hiking trail into the Grand Canyon, according to the NPS, and the flooding occurred during the busy summer tourism season.
