GRAND CANYON, AZ — A flash flood in Grand Canyon National Park left about 15 people missing, according to the National Park Service. Officials said there were no confirmed deaths or injuries as of Sunday.
The flooding began around 2:30 p.m. Saturday after rainfall on the Kaibab Plateau. Park officials said the water hit the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area and prompted a search and evacuation effort with Arizona authorities.
The park service had earlier said more than 20 people were believed missing, before updating that estimate to about 15.
Rain on the Kaibab Plateau triggered the flooding
The National Park Service said the flood was set off by rainfall on the Kaibab Plateau, which sent water into the inner-canyon area. The flood reached Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch, two areas within the park that draw hikers and backpackers traveling through the corridor.
Officials said the event unfolded quickly on Saturday afternoon. The timing matters because the park service was still trying to account for people who may have been in the area when conditions changed.
The update from the park service came in a statement on Sunday, after the agency had already been dealing with the response overnight and into the next day.
Park staff and Arizona agencies are trying to account for visitors
Grand Canyon National Park staff are working with the Arizona Department of Public Safety on evacuation and response efforts. The park service said those teams are trying to find people who may have been in the affected area when the flood hit.
The agency said it is focused on the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor. That includes hikers, backpackers, and campers who may not yet have been reached.
Officials have not said how many people have been located so far. They also have not reported any confirmed injuries or fatalities.
The Park Service asked the public for help identifying missing people
In a public notice, the National Park Service asked anyone with information about hikers or backpackers in the area on August 29 to contact its Investigative Services Branch. The request covered people in the inner canyon along Bright Angel Creek, as well as anyone with a campground reservation in the affected corridor.
The agency specifically asked for information about visitors traveling the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch, people staying at Bright Angel Campground, and anyone in the area known as “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch.
The park service said the public can call the NPS Investigative Services Branch tip line at 888-653-0009.
Earlier estimate was more than 20 people unaccounted for
The missing-person count changed as the response developed. Earlier, the park service said more than 20 people were believed missing. By Sunday, that figure had been revised to about 15.
That shift suggests crews were still sorting out who had been in the affected corridor and who had already been accounted for. The park service has not said whether any of the missing people were hikers, backpackers, or campers.
Officials also have not said when they expect to finish the search and accounting effort. For now, the response remains centered on locating anyone still unaccounted for after the flood.
What visitors were told to report to investigators
The park service’s public request was aimed at narrowing the list of people who may have been exposed to the flood. It asked for information about anyone who might have been hiking or backpacking in the affected stretches of the inner canyon on August 29.
That included people on the North Kaibab Trail, visitors staying at Bright Angel Campground, and travelers or campers in the area north of Phantom Ranch. Officials said anyone with knowledge of those visitors should contact investigators directly.
The National Park Service said its staff and Arizona public safety officials will continue evacuation and response efforts while they work to identify the missing.
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