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The National Park Service recovered the body of a 46-year-old man near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River on August 30 following the flash flood. Park officials initially placed the number of missing or unaccounted for at more than 20 but revised the figure downward to about 15 according to multiple updates from the agency. The Coconino County medical examiner’s office arrived at the scene as recovery and search operations continued into the following day.
The flash flood began around 2:30 p.m. local time after storms moved over the Kaibab Plateau sending a wall of water boulders and debris surging through Bright Angel Creek into the Colorado River according to a National Park Service statement. Nearly all footbridges over the creek were destroyed eliminating hiker crossings while the creek bed widened and formed what appeared to be a new rapid. The event also severed the Transcanyon Waterline leaving the park with limited water supplies and prompting Stage 4 restrictions ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Nikki Baggs who was among those airlifted from the canyon floor told the BBC that the sudden flooding caught visitors by surprise after a pleasant afternoon. “The whole thing was terrifying” Baggs said. “It was a beautiful day and then people were screaming running.” She added of the response by rangers that “It was a really uniquely coordinated effort. That’s what made us feel safe about all of it in an unsafe situation.”
At least 62 people had been evacuated by helicopter from Phantom Ranch and the lower stretches of the North Kaibab Trail with further flights continuing from Cottonwood Campground and nearby locations the National Park Service reported. Those brought out were transported to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria on the South Rim where American Red Cross volunteers coordinated support. Affected trails have been closed while crews assess damage to infrastructure throughout the canyon floor.
Flash floods have long posed risks in the Grand Canyon where a United States Geological Survey review documented at least 90 debris flows in tributaries of the Colorado River since about 1890. A 1997 flood in nearby Phantom Creek swept away two hikers resulting in their deaths according to an Arizona Republic compilation of regional flash flood incidents. The National Weather Service has tracked dozens of flood-related fatalities across Arizona in the decades since.
The National Park Service has asked the public to contact its Investigative Services Branch with any information about hikers or backpackers who were in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29 or held reservations at impacted sites. Areas of focus include travelers on the North Kaibab Trail between the trailhead and Phantom Ranch guests at Bright Angel Campground or Cottonwood Campground and those in the section known as “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch. Officials warned that additional thunderstorms forecast through Monday could bring further flash flooding debris flows rockfall and changing conditions.
