At least two dead after flash flood in US Grand Canyon

Los Angeles, Sep 1 (IANS) Two bodies have been recovered, while more than a dozen people remain missing or unaccounted for following a flash flood in Grand Canyon National Park in the US state of Arizona, authorities said.

The “significant flash-flood event” occurred in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on Saturday, according to the US National Park Service. Park officials told media that at least 14 other people remain missing or unaccounted for.

It urged “anyone who knows of hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, as well as anyone who had a campground reservation in the affected corridor, to provide information to the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.”

Park officials said in a Facebook post that preliminary assessments indicate approximately 40 per cent of the Transcanyon Waterline, which provides potable water for facilities on the South Rim and inner canyon, was damaged or destroyed, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Visitors are asked to remain out of the closure area while search and recovery operations continue. Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins, and the entire North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch remain closed until further notice,” the authorities added.

Park officials said in a news release on Sunday that a total of 62 individuals had been evacuated from the area.

The US National Weather Service said a flood watch for the Grand Canyon remains in effect through at least Monday evening.

The agency warned that showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue through Monday afternoon and evening. With deep monsoonal moisture in place and soils already saturated in some areas, the risk of flash flooding will remain elevated through Monday.

–IANS

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