More than 20 hikers are MISSING after flash floods ripped through Grand Canyon in Arizona
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The number of people unaccounted for after flash floods tore through Arizona's Grand Canyon has been revised down from more than 20 to at least 15, as search efforts continued into Sunday. Two helicopters from the National Park Service and Arizona Department of Public Safety scoured the North Kaibab Trail Corridor and the Colorado River between Bright Angel Creek and Deer Creek Narrows on Sunday morning but failed to locate any of the missing hikers, who are believed to have been trekking near Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch when the flooding struck on Saturday afternoon.
Debris swept out of Bright Angel Creek, including sediment, trees, bridges and structures, has formed a dam that raised the effective height of the Colorado River by around eight feet, according to a local historian. All footbridges across the creek were destroyed, and the Black and Silver bridges, along with river traffic in the area, remain closed indefinitely due to debris. Governor Katie Hobbs has deployed the Arizona National Guard, while 62 people were evacuated to safety, with one hiker describing being rescued by helicopter and taken to a hotel on the South Rim. Officials are urging anyone who may have been in the affected area to come forward and are warning the public to take flash-flood alerts seriously.
- Missing hiker count revised down to at least 15, from more than 20
- Sunday helicopter searches found none of the missing hikers
- Debris dam raised Colorado River height by about eight feet
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Flash flooding hit the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Saturday, sending water, mud and debris through the canyon and destroying footbridges over Bright Angel Creek, a key crossing point used by hikers moving between trails on either side of the canyon. The Grand Canyon is one of America's most visited national parks, drawing hikers and backpackers onto multi-day routes that pass through remote, steep terrain with limited phone signal, which makes it hard to quickly confirm the whereabouts of everyone who was there when the floods struck.
The areas of concern include the North Kaibab Trail, Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch, a backcountry lodge deep in the canyon that serves as a stopping point for hikers and mule trips. The National Park Service, working with Arizona's Department of Public Safety, is trying to account for everyone who may have been passing through, which is why it has asked the public for information about hikers who were in the area.
Flash floods are a recurring hazard in the Grand Canyon, particularly during the summer monsoon season, when sudden, intense rainstorms can send walls of water through narrow canyons with little warning. The scale of this incident, with dozens of people still unaccounted for and infrastructure like bridges destroyed, has prompted a large-scale response and raised questions about ongoing risk given further storms are forecast for the region.
Full account
More than 20 hikers and backpackers are missing or unaccounted for after flash flooding tore through a remote stretch of Arizona's Grand Canyon on Saturday afternoon, prompting a large-scale evacuation and an urgent appeal from park authorities for help tracing anyone who may have been caught up in it. The National Park Service said the flooding struck the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area at around 2.30pm local time, and that by Sunday morning 62 people had been airlifted to safety, with further evacuations planned as conditions allowed.
The worst-affected area lies deep within the canyon and is reachable only on foot, by mule or by rafting the Colorado River, which has complicated both the response and efforts to establish exactly who was in the vicinity when the water rose. Investigators are trying to trace people who were walking the North Kaibab Trail between the North Kaibab Trailhead and Phantom Ranch, staying at Bright Angel Campground, or in a narrow, steep-walled stretch known as "the Box" just north of Phantom Ranch. The National Park Service said nearly all of the footbridges crossing Bright Angel Creek had been destroyed, cutting off routes across the swollen water, while the Black and Silver bridges and access to the Colorado River in the area were shut indefinitely because of debris. Officials gave no further detail on who those unaccounted for might be, or whether they were day hikers, campers or backpackers with reservations.
Footage circulating from the scene showed thick, mud-laden water surging through the canyon floor and carrying large amounts of debris, filmed in part by hikers sheltering on a suspended bridge above the flood. A local historian said the material washed out of Bright Angel Creek — including sediment, trees and pieces of infrastructure — had built up into a natural dam that pushed the level of the Colorado River up by roughly eight feet. Rescues were carried out by helicopter, including by Arizona state troopers working alongside park service teams; one hiker described his group being flown out and taken first to a local school before being placed in a hotel on the canyon's South Rim. Park staff, working with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, said their immediate priority remained accounting for everyone who might have been in the affected corridor.
Concern is compounded by the forecast, with further thunderstorms and heavy rain expected on Sunday and Monday raising the risk of additional flash flooding, debris flows, rockfall and shifting trail and river conditions. No injuries have so far been reported. The Grand Canyon is among the busiest national parks in the United States, drawing roughly five million visitors a year, and the Bright Angel Trail — which leads towards the affected area — is its most popular route. Authorities have not given a timescale for reopening the closed bridges and trails, warning that other inner-canyon closures may yet prove necessary, and are asking anyone with information about hikers, backpackers or campers who were in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on Saturday to come forward.
Where outlets differ
The Daily Mail carries the most colour and eyewitness material — video of mudslides filmed from a suspended bridge, a local historian's account of debris damming the Colorado River and raising its level by about eight feet, and a hiker's first-hand account of being airlifted out and housed in a South Rim hotel — detail largely absent from the other two accounts.
Fox News leans on official National Park Service statements and process, noting only that 'nearly all' footbridges were destroyed (versus the Mail's 'all'), and is alone in publishing the NPS tip line number and email for people with information.
The BBC is the only outlet to state explicitly that no injuries have been reported, and it adds broader context about the canyon's popularity (about five million visitors a year) and the fact Phantom Ranch is accessible only on foot, by mule or by river.
Reported timing varies slightly in framing: the Mail gives 'Saturday around 2:30pm', Fox News refers to 'Aug. 29', and the BBC specifies 14:30 local time (22:30 BST) — consistent underlying time but different presentation.
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