More than 20 people are thought to be missing or unaccounted for after flash flooding swept through parts of the Grand Canyon. The flood hit at around 14:30 local time (22:30 BST) on Saturday in the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area, according to the National Park Service (NPS). Sixty-two people have so far been airlifted out of the area, with more expected to follow. No injuries have been reported.
Nikki Baggs, 41, who was among those airlifted out of the bottom of the Grand Canyon on Saturday alongside her two friends, described the incident as "terrifying". She told the BBC: "It was a beautiful day and then people were screaming, running." Baggs said she and her friends had just dropped off their belongings at a cabin in Phantom Ranch when they decided to venture out to enjoy the nice day. Before they knew it, a flood of water was sweeping through the area. As soon as the rain hit, they headed toward higher ground, but rangers yelled to them to run to a different ledge, where they waited with others for hours before being evacuated at around 21:30 local time.
Baggs said she and her two friends had been looking forward to a steak dinner at Phantom Ranch, but were now just grateful to be alive thanks to a swift response from park rangers. "It was a really uniquely coordinated effort," she said. "That's what made us feel safe about all of it in an unsafe situation."