At least 1 dead, over a dozen missing at Grand Canyon after extreme flash flooding - NBC News

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At least one person is dead and more than a dozen others are missing or unaccounted for, park officials said, after flash floods overwhelmed a remote area of the Grand Canyon Sunday.

Forecasters warned that more flash flooding was possible on Monday. The biggest threat of flash flooding on Monday is set to be just north of the Grand Canyon.

The catastrophic flooding prompted the National Park Service to cancel or bar all overnight stays, and impose water conservation measures.

The National Park Service is asking for information about anyone who may have been hiking or backpacking along Bright Angel Creek in Arizona, as well as campers with plans to stay at Phantom Ranch or the Bright Angel Campground.

Officials are also trying to track down travelers who might have been stranded along the North Kaibab Trail.

The National Park Service said in an evening update that a 46-year-old man was recovered from Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office was at the scene, the NPS said.

The flooding is already restricting the visitors’ use of the canyon.

All park concessions will halt overnight accommodations during the peak visitor season and water restrictions on the South Rim will begin as of noon on Monday, the NPS said. There had been “extensive damage” to infrastructure in the inner canyon, including the Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies water from the canyon for use in the park, it said.

“The waterline is currently not operational, leaving the park with limited water reserves and requiring significant water conservation measures to ensure available supplies can be maintained,” the service said.

The National Weather Service warned that the threat of flash flooding in all of northern and central Arizona remained through Monday evening.

The park service earlier Sunday said 15 people were missing or unaccounted for, down from a previous estimate of 20.

Among those missing is a Texas chiropractor who had been chronicling his trip to the Grand Canyon on Facebook. His sister told the New York Times that they last spoke to him on Saturday afternoon before the flooding began.

As of Sunday morning, 62 people had been evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail. Additional evacuations from Phantom Ranch and the Cottonwood Campground were expected.

Park administrators also said that footbridges along Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, “eliminating hiker access across the creek,” and that certain Colorado River crossings were closed while damage is assessed.

“The flash flood resulted in significant impacts to infrastructure throughout Bright Angel Canyon,” the National Park Service said in a statement. “Grand Canyon National Park staff are continuing to assess damage to trails, bridges, utilities, facilities and other infrastructure.”

Phantom Ranch is accessible only by hiking, raft or mule transport. It has been a coveted Grand Canyon destination since it opened in 1922.

Colorado River traffic was also shut down because of the risk of floating debris.

David Gregory was one of many in the area on Sunday. He told NBC News he spent Saturday morning hiking down the North Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch and had just checked into a cabin a couple of hours before the rain hit.

Hours later, officials told him and his group they needed to evacuate. After grabbing their things, Gregory said they crossed some footbridges before first responders airlifted him and about 50 others to safety.

“It was kind of crazy hearing later that the bridge that we crossed was wiped out. Kind of makes you think that maybe we should have been in more of a panic,” Gregory said.

Shayna Jacobs is a national reporter for NBC News digital.