A sudden wall of water tore through a popular corridor of Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend, leaving park officials scrambling to locate visitors after a flash flood that may have left about 15 people missing.
The National Park Service said in a statement that the flooding struck the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area on Saturday. Working alongside Arizona authorities, officials began evacuations and continued efforts to account for people who may still be unaccounted for.
Earlier, the agency had reported that more than 20 people were believed missing, but the number has since been revised.
In an email, the park service said there were no confirmed deaths or injuries.
The flood began at about 2:30 pm (10.30pm Irish time) on Saturday and was triggered by rainfall on the Kaibab Plateau, according to the statement.
By yesterday morning, 62 people had been evacuated, and additional evacuations were planned, the park service said.
With stormy weather expected to continue, the agency warned that more thunderstorms and heavy rainfall were possible through Monday, raising the risk of “additional flash flooding, debris flows, rockfall and changing trail and river conditions.”
