Urgent search underway for more than 20 people after Grand Canyon flash flood

More than 20 people may be missing or unaccounted for after a major flash flood tore through a remote area of the Grand Canyon, prompting an urgent public plea from the National Park Service..

Grand Canyon National Park said 62 people had been evacuated as of Sunday morning from Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area, where significant flooding hit on Aug. 29. 

Officials are asking for the public’s help to account for more than 20 people who may have been in the affected area during the flood.

“Additional evacuations are planned today,” the park said, warning that more thunderstorms and heavy rain are possible Sunday and Monday, raising the threat of further flash flooding, debris flows and rockfall.

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The flooding struck Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on Aug. 29, according to the National Park Service, adding that nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed.

Park staff and the Arizona Department of Public Safety are continuing evacuation and response operations as they work to account for people who may have been caught in the affected corridor.

Officials are asking anyone with information about hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along Bright Angel Creek that day to contact investigators.

The request also applies to anyone with a campground reservation in the affected area.

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The National Park Service said it is trying to identify people who may have been traveling on the North Kaibab Trail between the North Kaibab Trailhead and Phantom Ranch, staying at Bright Angel Campground or traveling through an area known as “the Box” north of Phantom Ranch.

The agency did not release details about the people who may be missing or unaccounted for, including whether they were hikers, campers or park visitors with reservations in the area.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch Tip Line at 888-653-0009 or nps_isb@nps.gov.