The National Park Service is asking the public for help locating more than 20 people who may be missing or unaccounted for following a significant flash flood in the Grand Canyon on August 29th.
The flooding affected Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area, including popular sections of the Grand Canyon backcountry used by hikers and backpackers. Park officials are asking anyone with information about people who may have been in the affected area to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.
Search For Hikers And Backpackers
According to Grand Canyon National Park, officials are seeking information about hikers and backpackers who were traveling through the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29th.
The request includes people who may have been traveling on the North Kaibab Trail between the North Kaibab Trailhead and Phantom Ranch. Officials are also seeking information about anyone staying at Bright Angel Campground or Cottonwood Campground during the flooding.
The National Park Service is additionally asking for information about people who were traveling through an area known as the Box, a narrow section of Bright Angel Canyon located north of Phantom Ranch. More than 20 individuals may still be missing or unaccounted for following the flash flood, prompting the public assistance request.
What Information Officials Need
Anyone who knows of a hiker or backpacker who was in the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29th is encouraged to contact the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.
Officials are requesting information that could help identify or locate people who may have been affected by the flooding. Useful details include a person’s name, approximate location, planned travel route, group size, clothing description, backpack description, and when they were last known to be in the area. People providing information do not have to identify themselves.
The National Park Service Investigative Services Branch can be reached through its tip line at 888-653-0009 or by email at nps_isb@nps.gov.
Flash Flood Danger In The Grand Canyon
Flash flooding can create rapidly changing and extremely dangerous conditions in the Grand Canyon’s narrow canyon corridors. Heavy rainfall can send water quickly through drainages and confined sections of trails, potentially affecting hikers and backpackers far from the location where rain initially falls.
The Bright Angel Creek corridor is one of the most heavily traveled areas of the Grand Canyon backcountry, connecting popular trails, campgrounds, and Phantom Ranch.
Anyone who was in the affected area on August 29th, or who has information about someone who may have been there, is urged to contact the National Park Service as the effort to account for those potentially affected continues.