Approximately 15 people may be missing after Grand Canyon flash flood: Parks service

Approximately 15 people may be missing or unaccounted for after a significant flash flood occurred in the Grand Canyon, the National Parks Service (NPS) said Sunday.

The flood ripped through Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on Saturday, the Grand Canyon National Park’s communications office said in a release . The Bright Angel Trail is the most popular hiking trail into the Grand Canyon, per the NPS .

National park staff and the Arizona Department of Public Safety are “continuing evacuation and response efforts and working to account for individuals who may have been in the affected area,” the release added.

“The NPS also asked anyone who knows of hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor,” the communications office noted.

“This includes individuals who may have been traveling along the North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch, staying at Bright Angel Campground, or traveling or staying in the area known as ‘the Box’ north of Phantom Ranch.”

The flash flood began at approximately 2:30 p.m. PCT and resulted in “significant impacts to infrastructure” throughout Bright Angel Canyon, the national park said in an initial Sunday release .

“Nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, eliminating hiker access across the creek. Grand Canyon National Park staff are continuing to assess damage to trails, bridges, utilities, facilities and other infrastructure,” the park’s communications office added.

The park also noted on Saturday that the Black and Silver bridges crossing the Colorado River, Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch Canteen and cabins, as well as the entire North Kaibab Trail from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Phantom Ranch, were closed until further notice.

As of Sunday morning, authorities had evacuated 62 individuals from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab trail, with additional individuals scheduled to be evacuated later in the morning from Cottonwood Campground and Phantom Ranch. The national park reported zero injuries as of Sunday morning.

Authorities are transporting evacuees to the Maswik Lodge Cafeteria, the national park noted in the initial Sunday release.

David Gregory told CNN he was hiking with a small group when the floods hit, with officials evacuating them via helicopter to a local high school and setting them up in a hotel room for the night.

“We realized the creek near camp was black with debris and flowing rapidly,” Gregory told CNN.

In a third release on Sunday, the park’s communications office said all park concessions were halting overnight lodging, including the Maswik Lodge, while the park will remain open for day use.

The NPS is encouraging those who know anyone who may have been hiking or backpacking in the aforementioned areas to contact its Investigative Services Branch Tip Line and provide any information about the individual — including their name, approximate location, travel plans, group size, clothing or backpack description or when they were last known to be in the area.

More than 409,000 people visited the Grand Canyon last month, and more than 2.4 million had done so this year as of the end of July, according to NPS data .