Flash floods sweep Grand Canyon, over 20 hikers unaccounted for

Flash flooding struck the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area of the Grand Canyon at around 14:30 local time on Saturday, the National Park Service (NPS) has confirmed. The agency says more than 20 people are currently thought to be missing or unaccounted for.

So far 62 people have been airlifted out of the affected area, with further evacuations expected. No injuries have been reported.

Eyewitness account

Nikki Baggs, 41, was among those airlifted to safety and described the experience as terrifying. She and two friends had just dropped their belongings at a cabin near Phantom Ranch, a remote lodge at the canyon floor, and headed out to enjoy the pleasant weather when the flooding began.

Baggs said that as soon as the rain started, people around her began screaming and running. She and her friends first moved to higher ground and sat at a picnic table, but rangers then told them to run again to a different ledge, where they waited for hours with other visitors before being evacuated at around 21:30 local time.

Baggs said she and her friends had been looking forward to a steak dinner at Phantom Ranch, but were now simply grateful to be alive. She credited the swift, coordinated response of park rangers for making a dangerous situation feel manageable.