US Grand Canyon flash flood kills one, 15 missing
Photo: Screengrab from video.
A destructive weekend deluge at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, US claimed at least one life and left another 15 people missing, park authorities announced on Sunday.
Search and rescue teams from the National Park Service retrieved the body of a 46-year-old man on Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. The sudden rush of water also forced officials to execute emergency evacuations for over 60 visitors.
Park officials traced the disaster’s origin to heavy downpours over the Kaibab Plateau at around 2:30 pm on Saturday, which quickly inundated Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area.
Hiker Parth Desai, who was exploring Bright Angel Canyon with his companions when the storm hit, recounted the terrifying experience to the Associated Press. Desai described the sudden onslaught, saying, “We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere.”
As the hikers struggled toward Phantom Ranch, they encountered a massive four-foot (one-meter) wall of advancing debris, which forced them to scramble into a nearby patch of cacti for safety.
A rescue helicopter eventually flew the stranded group out of the canyon. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service reported that the area received up to an inch (2.5 centimeters) of rainfall in a mere 20 minutes, with the steep landscape accelerating the runoff.
The raging torrents demolished almost every pedestrian bridge spanning Bright Angel Creek while carrying heavy rocks and wreckage directly into the Colorado River. Because the floodwaters severely damaged the park’s only fresh water pipeline, authorities immediately enacted water consumption limits.
While weather forecasters anticipate additional thunderstorms and intense rain through Monday, administrators will keep the park open for daytime visitors. However, officials closed Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch, and segments of the North Kaibab Trail on Sunday.
The park will suspend all overnight accommodations at its internal lodges and hotels starting Monday, while commercial operators have completely paused Colorado River rafting excursions.
Source: AFP and AP (adapted)
