Eighty-two people were rescued over the weekend after a monsoonal downpour washed out campgrounds in the Grand Canyon at Bright Angel Canyon and around the historic Phantom Ranch.
The Grand Canyon is seen from Grand Canyon Village, Arizona, on Aug 31, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Ian Maule)
01 Sep 2026 01:41PM
(Updated: 01 Sep 2026 01:59PM)
GRAND CANYON VILLAGE: The number of people unaccounted for after a deadly flash flood hit part of the Grand Canyon fell to one Monday (Aug 31) as US Park Rangers said they had managed to make contact with over a dozen who had been missing.A monsoonal downpour that lashed the northern side of the huge canyon sent torrents of water, rock and debris down a popular hiking course on Saturday, washing out campgrounds in Bright Angel Canyon and around the historic Phantom Ranch.Two people are known to have died in the sudden flood - both men - whose bodies were recovered as search and rescue teams moved in, amid fears that many more could have been swept away at one of the most popular and dramatic tourist spots in the United States.But late Monday, Dave Black of the National Park Service said nearly all those who were known to be in the canyon had now been found. "There is one person unaccounted for that we know of right now," he told reporters in Grand Canyon Village, Arizona.Black said 82 people had been rescued over Saturday and Sunday as a huge operation swung into gear, and rangers had been canvassing the park's camping permit system to determine who might have been there when disaster struck."They've cross-checked between permits, license plates, any information they have, and talked to family members, made sure that they were out," he said.
