At least one person has died and around fifteen others remain sought after a flash flood in the Grand Canyon, one of the most popular tourist sites in the western United States, according to a provisional report from the authorities on Sunday.
The National Park Service (NPS) warned on its website of the threat of a repeat of the phenomenon, due to storms accompanied by heavy rain expected until Monday.
Flooding hit Bright Angel Canyon and the area of Phantom Ranch, a resort at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, on Saturday, leading to the evacuation of dozens of people and damaging the only water line supplying the park.
“At the end of the day, recovery operations were completed for a 46-year-old man near Crystal Rapids, along the Colorado River,” the local branch of the NPS indicated Sunday evening on the social network
Videos filmed by hikers show a torrent of muddy water surging with a low roar along a trail and under footbridges, as well as tree trunks and other debris being carried away by swollen rivers.
The NPS relaunched an appeal to the public Sunday evening on its site, saying it was looking for “information concerning around fifteen people who could be missing or who have not been heard from.”
Park officials previously reported more than 20 people wanted.
The NPS is working with Arizona authorities to evacuate people trapped in the canyon and locate the missing. At the start of the day on Sunday, the service reported 62 people evacuated.
Damaged pipe
Flooding damaged the Transcanyon Waterline, a critical water pipeline for Grand Canyon National Park, the NPS said.
The latter announced water restrictions in its busiest area as well as a ban on wood and coal fires.
The affected pipe, 20 kilometers long, connects the source of Roaring Springs, on the North Shore, to the South Shore. It ensures the supply of drinking water and also provides water used for fighting fires, according to the park’s website.
The flooding caused “significant” damage to infrastructure, destroying “almost all the footbridges” over Bright Angel Creek and preventing hikers from crossing it.
Overnight accommodation must be closed starting this Monday, the NPS said. “These measures are crucial to guarantee the security and sustainability of water resources,” the service stressed.
The flash flood, which started around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, was caused by rain on the Kaibab plateau.
New thunderstorms and heavy rain still possible Monday could lead to “additional flash floods, debris flows, rockfalls and changing conditions on trails and waterways,” according to the park.
Flash floods are common in northern Arizona, where particularly arid land absorbs rain very poorly, and the NPS urges visitors to use extra caution until mid-September.
The Grand Canyon, considered one of the greatest natural wonders on Earth, is the result of layers of red sandstone and other rocks being eroded by the Colorado River over millions of years.
Last year, more than 4.4 million tourists visited the site, according to national park figures.
