Flash flood in Grand Canyon leaves at least two dead, 15 missing, water pipeline damaged

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. -- At least two bodies have been recovered since a major flash flood swept through the Grand Canyon, park officials said Monday, as search and recovery efforts continued for about 15 people still missing.

Weather forecasters warned rain and thunderstorms could bring more flooding to the popular tourist attraction from where scores of visitors were evacuated following the storm-fueled flood Saturday in Bright Angel Creek.

The deluge also seriously damaged the only water pipeline in the canyon, leading to emergency water restrictions for year-round residents, and tourists have been barred from staying at lodges and hotels inside the park.

Video from the area showed a force of muddy, debris-filled floodwaters carrying what appeared to be remnants of a bunkhouse and rocks through the canyon. Four “waves of rainfall” over two creek drainages during the weekend resulted in rapid onset flash flooding, the National Weather Service said. The National Park Service says the area gets less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain per year on average.

Visiting the Grand Canyon — a crown jewel of the national park system — can be particularly dangerous in the summer because of the risk of flash flooding that accompanies the monsoon, or rainy season. Clear days can give way quickly to thunderstorms and downpours.

The first three waves of rain “primed the drainages and already had creeks flowing at minor levels” by the time a fourth wave arrived, the weather service said in a statement.

Rain also fell on part of the Dragon Bravo fire scar, a burn area left by a lightning-caused wildfire in July 2025 that torched more than 227 square miles (590 square kilometers). It burned for days before exploding into a fast-moving conflagration that forced evacuations and consumed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, some cabins and other structures.

“With it being in the location that it is, it's only going to add to our concern with flash flooding,” said Paige Konieczny, a meteorologist with the weather service in Flagstaff, Arizona, said Monday.

More thunderstorms and showers are expected Monday, she said.

The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River, the National Park Service said without providing details. At least one other body has been recovered, according to a statement posted on Facebook by the Grand Canyon National Park. It provided no other details.

More than 60 people have been airlifted from the depths of the canyon. The park service asked anyone with details about hikers or campers still unaccounted for to come forward with information. The Arizona Department of Public Safety helped with evacuations Sunday.

“My heart is with the families and loved ones of every person unaccounted for after the flash flooding at the Grand Canyon,” Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs posted Sunday.

The state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs was coordinating with the park service and county emergency management officials in search and recovery efforts, Hobbs said.

Parth Desai was hiking through a narrow passage in Bright Angel Canyon with fellow physicians and a park ranger when heavy rain started falling Saturday.

“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” he said.

Later, as they made their way toward Phantom Ranch, a colleague shouted “Up, Up, Up, Up!” as a 4-foot (1-meter) debris wall headed toward them and they ran up into a patch of cacti, he said. They were rescued by helicopter late Saturday after making it to the Phantom Ranch area, he said.

In August 2024, a woman was swept away in a flash flood while hiking in the Havasupai region of the Grand Canyon. Chenoa Nickerson, 33, was found dead after a three-day search.

Torrents of water wiped out footbridges over Bright Angel Creek that runs into the Colorado River, widening the bed and extending an existing river rapid or creating a new one. The flood was a major blow to an enduring effort to modernize the pipeline that serves 6 million visitors a year and roughly 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village.

“Heaven help us if the whole thing down there at the bottom has to be reconstructed,” said Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University. “Where are they going to get the money?”

A $208 million rehabilitation of the pipeline and upgrades to the associated water delivery system started in 2023, with the park service calling it a crucial investment to ensure the park can meet the needs of residents and visitors. The project was expected to be completed next year.

“Preliminary assessments indicate approximately 40% of the Transcanyon Waterline was damaged or destroyed,” the Grand Canyon National Park said in its Facebook post Monday.

Halting overnight stays at the park because of a lack of water is rare, although the pipeline frequently has failed over the years. While the Grand Canyon has large storage tanks for potable water on the South Rim, they won’t be refilled while the pipeline is out of service.

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Stengle reported from Dallas. Julie Walker in New York City, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Kathy McCormack and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.