Grand Canyon's Deadly Flash Floods: 2 Dead, 15 Missing After Torrential Rains

Tragedy struck Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park this weekend as flash flooding from torrential downpours claimed the lives of at least two people and left 15 others still unaccounted for. The dramatic weather event saw nearly an inch of rain per hour for three hours on Saturday afternoon, turning scenic trails into raging torrents and submerging parts of the historic Phantom Ranch Lodge.

The intense rainfall overwhelmed areas already saturated from earlier showers, leading to dangerous debris flows that caught many park-goers off guard. The rapid onset of the floods necessitated helicopter rescues for more than 60 people trapped by the rising waters. Authorities continue their urgent search for the missing.

The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River on Sunday night, and park officials confirmed another fatality on Monday.

Neither individual has been publicly identified yet.

Hikers present during the deluge recounted terrifying scenes.

David Gregory, a hiker, told CBS, "I don't think we would have made it out alive if we had fallen into the creek and then we'd gotten carried into the Colorado River.

There was, like, a whirlpool in there."

Another hiker, physician Parth Desai, described the sudden chaos:

We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere.

The Bright Angel Canyon area, where much of the damage occurred, remains closed. A flood watch is in effect through Monday evening for northern and central Arizona, with the National Weather Service warning of continued intense rainfall rates above one inch per hour in the region.

The risk of further flash flooding, debris flows, rockfalls, and changing trail and river conditions persists.

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