Grand Canyon Seeks Public Assistance After Bright Angel Canyon Flash Flood
The National Park Service is asking for the public’s help accounting for approximately 15 people who may be missing or unaccounted for after a significant flash-flood event in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on August 29.
Grand Canyon National Park staff and the Arizona Department of Public Safety are continuing evacuation and response efforts while working to identify people who may have been in the affected area. The request is especially important for anyone who knows hikers, backpackers, or campers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor that day.
Who the National Park Service is trying to locate
Information is requested about people who may have traveled or stayed in several areas along the Bright Angel Creek corridor, including:
- The North Kaibab Trail between the North Kaibab Trailhead and Phantom Ranch
- Bright Angel Campground
- The area known as “the Box,” north of Phantom Ranch
- Campers with reservations in the affected corridor
The request applies to anyone who may have been hiking, backpacking, traveling, or staying in these locations on August 29. People who know of potentially affected individuals are encouraged to share even partial details with the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch.
How to provide information
The NPS Investigative Services Branch is collecting tips by phone and email. The tip line number is 888-653-0009. The National Park Service release also provides an email option for submitting information.
Helpful details may include a person’s name, approximate location, planned travel route, group size, clothing, backpack description, or the last time the person was known to be in the area. The National Park Service says people submitting information do not have to provide their names.
Visitors and others who may have knowledge of hikers or backpackers in Bright Angel Canyon, along Bright Angel Creek, or near Phantom Ranch are asked to contact the NPS Investigative Services Branch promptly so response personnel can continue the effort to account for everyone in the affected corridor.
Official source: Read the original Grand Canyon National Park news release.
For more current park information, see Grand Canyon News & Updates.
GrandCanyonVisitorCenter.com is an independent visitor-information resource and is not operated by the National Park Service.
