LOS ANGELES – At least one person was killed and around 15 others are missing after a flash flood at the Grand Canyon, one of the most popular tourist sites in the United States, the National Park Service said in a statement yesterday.
The floods hit the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area on Saturday, forcing dozens of people to evacuate and damaging the sole water pipeline serving the park.
The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered on Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River in northern Arizona, the park service said.
Video footage taken by hikers showed a torrent of muddy water rushing by trails and under footbridges as well as logs and other debris floating down swollen rivers, accompanied by a rumbling roar.
The park service said it was working with Arizona authorities to evacuate people and account for missing individuals.
As of Sunday morning, 62 people had been evacuated, with others scheduled for later, it said.
It said around 15 people were thought to be missing, revising an earlier figure of more than 20.
Pipeline damaged
The flooding damaged the Transcanyon Waterline, a key water pipeline into Grand Canyon National Park, the park service said, announcing water restrictions in its most visited area and a ban on wood and charcoal fires.
The twelve-and-a-half mile (20 kilometers) pipeline runs from the Roaring Springs source on the North Rim to the South Rim, providing drinking water and fire suppression, according to the park’s website.
The flooding also resulted in “significant impacts to infrastructure,” destroying footbridges and blocking hikers from crossing Bright Angel Creek, the park service said.
Overnight accommodations were to be closed from yesterday, it added.
“These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources,” the park service said.
The flash flood, which began about 2:30 pm (2130 GMT) on Saturday, was caused by rain on the Kaibab Plateau, it said.
More thunderstorms and heavy rainfall were possible through Monday, possibly leading to “additional flash flooding, debris flows, rockfall and changing trail and river conditions,” the park service warned.
Flash floods are common in Northern Arizona because the arid, sparsely vegetated environments found in the area have little capacity to absorb rain, the park’s website said, urging visitors to be especially cautious from July to mid-September.
The Grand Canyon considered one of the greatest wonders of the natural world is the result of the Colorado River eating away at layers of red sandstone and other rock for millions of years, leaving a chasm up to 18 miles wide and more than a mile deep.
Last year almost five million people visited the site.
– Nampa/AFP
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