Border Patrol to join hunt for hiker missing in Grand Canyon flooding

A specialized Border Patrol team is joining the search for a hiker still missing in the Grand Canyon after a flash flood killed at least two people and forced the evacuation of dozens over the weekend.

John Guisti, 46, and Brent Rosenkranz, 42, were both killed in the flooding, their families confirmed Tuesday. They had arrived at the Grand Canyon on Friday to hike and fish with a third friend, Timothy Smith, 53, who still remains unaccounted for.

A Border Patrol technical search team will be deployed to assist National Park Service crews as they search during another round of potentially dangerous weather.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms could bring additional flash flooding, along with debris flows and rock falls, complicating efforts to search the canyon.

Authorities also plan to use a drone from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office that can scan for Bluetooth signals from electronic devices, according to reports .

Rangers have used information such as camping permits and license plates to account for people who may have been in the area when the flooding began. Officials said Monday that they had no indication that anyone other than Smith remained missing.

Nearly 80 people have been rescued since Saturday’s floods, including visitors trapped at a lodge near the bottom of the canyon that is only accessible by foot or along the Colorado River.

Several rounds of rainfall had already left creeks running before another wave of storms triggered the flooding, according to the National Weather Service. Flash floods are a known hazard in the Grand Canyon during Arizona’s summer monsoon season, when thunderstorms can bring heavy rain to the steep terrain with little warning.

Rain also fell over part of the burn scar left by the Dragon Bravo wildfire, which burned more than 227 square miles last year. Burned areas have an increased risk of flash flooding because vegetation that would normally slow runoff was destroyed in the fires.