At least two dead after flash flood hits US Grand Canyon; 14 missing

September 1, 2026

Los Angeles: At least two people have died after a flash flood struck the Grand Canyon National Park in the US state of Arizona, while more than a dozen others remain missing or unaccounted for, authorities said.

Two bodies have been recovered following what the US National Park Service described as a “significant flash-flood event” in Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on Saturday.

Park officials said at least 14 people remain missing or unaccounted for.

Search and recovery operations underway

The National Park Service 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 people who had campground reservations in the affected corridor, to provide information to its Investigative Services Branch.

Authorities have continued search and recovery operations in the affected areas.

Visitors have been asked to stay away from the closure zone while emergency and recovery operations continue.

62 people evacuated

According to park officials, 62 people were evacuated from the affected area.

Several key areas and trails remain closed until further notice, including 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.

The closures have been imposed as authorities assess the damage and continue search operations.

Waterline damaged

Preliminary assessments indicate that around 40 per cent of the Transcanyon Waterline was damaged or destroyed in the flooding.

The waterline supplies potable water to facilities on the South Rim and in the inner canyon.

The damage could further complicate operations in the affected areas as officials continue to assess the impact of the flash flood.

Flash flood risk remains

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

The agency warned that showers and thunderstorms were expected to continue through Monday afternoon and evening.

With deep monsoonal moisture over the region and soils already saturated in some areas, the risk of further flash flooding remains elevated, the weather service said.