Grand Canyon Flood Kills Two as Rain Returns

Two dead, and no settled count of the missing

Two bodies have been recovered after the flash flood that tore through Grand Canyon National Park on Saturday afternoon, and heavy rain returned Monday, slowing the search. Sky News, CBS News and NTD all report at least two dead. The Associated Press reported that the bodies of a Texas chiropractor and at least one other person had been found, and that officials were working to recover the second.

About 80 people were rescued during the flooding, the AP reported. CBS News reported that the Arizona Department of Public Safety alone rescued 61 people over the weekend, and that rain on Monday grounded its helicopters for the day.

How many people are still unaccounted for is not settled, and the range comes from officials, not from rumor. The AP reported Tuesday that officials are seeking information on one person who remains unaccounted for. CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post and The Sun put the figure at roughly 15. NTD reported the National Park Service saying 20 or more may be missing. The Frank is printing all three with their owners rather than picking one.

The men who did not come out

Park officials said they recovered the body of a 46-year-old man on Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. Families identified him as Dr. John Giusti, a chiropractor from Granbury, Texas, and a father of three daughters. Note one unresolved discrepancy in the record: CBS News, the New York Post and The Sun give his age as 46, matching the park's figure, while the AP's account gives it as 53.

What the flood did to the park

The flood hit the Bright Angel Creek area, deep in the canyon near the Colorado River, around the lodges and campgrounds where rim-to-rim hikers stop for the night. "Nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed, eliminating pedestrian access across the creek," the National Park Service said Sunday.

The flood also severely damaged the only water pipeline into the canyon, according to the AP, which put the ongoing rehabilitation of that pipeline at $208 million, begun in 2023 and due to finish next year. Fox News described it as a $200 million project. Officials barred tourists from staying at lodges and hotels inside the park and imposed emergency water restrictions on the roughly 1,600 year-round residents of Grand Canyon Village. The park's large potable water storage tanks on the South Rim will not be refilled while the pipeline is out of service. The park hosts 4.4 million visitors a year, per the AP.