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Two dead, one missing after Grand Canyon flash flood
Confirmed
News Two people have died and more than a dozen others are missing or unaccounted for after a flash flood ripped through the Grand Canyon over the weekend, according to park service officials. A flash flood watch remains in effect in the Grand Canyon area through On Monday evening, with more showers and thunderstorms in the forecast, according to the National Weather Service.
Rich Rudow, 61, an experienced canyoneer who has been exploring the Grand Canyon for nearly 40 years, said an area known as “The Box” near Phantom Ranch would have been especially dangerous for hikers during the flash flood.
News Updated on: August 31, 2026 / 10:09 PM EDT / CBS News Two deaths have been confirmed after parts of Grand Canyon National Park were hit by major flash floods over the weekend, but most of the people who were believed to be missing have now been accounted for, authorities said On Monday evening.
The number of people unaccounted for after catastrophic weekend floods that killed two others in the Grand Canyon has dropped to one, down from 15, the incident commander on the site said On Monday. "Grand Canyon National Park staff, in coordination with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, are continuing evacuation and response efforts and working to account for individuals who may have been in the affected area," NPS said in a statement.
Dozens of people were evacuated as the flooding swept large boulders, metal structures and other debris into the Colorado River, which runs through the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service said. Grand Canyon National Park service officials said all footbridges along Bright Angel Creek were destroyed in the flooding that began Beginning Saturday, eliminating all crossings for hikers.
The area includes the Grand Canyon and stretches west into Utah, according to weather projections. Exploring the Grand Canyon had been a longtime dream for Giusti, his family said.
The National Weather Service in Flagstaff, Ariz. has issued a flash flood watch , urging caution in flood-prone areas like creeks, slot canyons, and low water crossings, among others. Dozen Missing After Flash Flooding also knocked out the sole water pipeline that serves tourists and residents at the national park, officials said late Earlier Sunday.
Grand Canyon National Park Deputy Superintendent Brian Drapeaux said On Monday night that the park is still open and accessible to both the North and South rims. Giusti promoted his Grand Canyon trip on social media for his patients and said he would provide stretching, hydration and chiropractic tips to followers.
What's confirmed
- News Updated on: August 31, 2026 / 10:09 PM EDT / CBS News Two deaths have been confirmed after parts of Grand Canyon National Park were hit by major flash floods over the weekend, but most of the people who were…
- "Grand Canyon National Park staff, in coordination with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, are continuing evacuation and response efforts and working to account for individuals who may have been in the affected…
- At least 82 people were evacuated from the hard-hit areas in the sprawling national park after the flooding caused significant damage, Dave Black said.
- The National Park Service said the flooding caused "extensive damage to infrastructure in the inner canyon, including the Transcanyon The Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies water from the canyon for use in the park.
- News Two people have died and more than a dozen others are missing or unaccounted for after a flash flood ripped through the Grand Canyon over the weekend, according to park service officials.
- Dozens of people were evacuated as the flooding swept large boulders, metal structures and other debris into the Colorado River, which runs through the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service said.
- A flash flood watch remains in effect in the Grand Canyon area through On Monday evening, with more showers and thunderstorms in the forecast, according to the National Weather Service.
- Exploring the Grand Canyon had been a longtime dream for Giusti, his family said.
What's still developing
- Grand Canyon National Park Deputy Superintendent Brian Drapeaux said On Monday night that the park is still open and accessible to both the North and South rims.
- David Gregory was traveling with Bergemann's family and said the flood destroyed the footbridge only about 10 minutes after they all managed to get across.
- Dozen Missing After Flash Flooding also knocked out the sole water pipeline that serves tourists and residents at the national park, officials said late Earlier Sunday.
- “We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” said the hiker, who was later rescued by helicopter.
- The number of people unaccounted for after catastrophic weekend floods that killed two others in the Grand Canyon has dropped to one, down from 15, the incident commander on the site said On Monday.
- Officials know the person is missing based on checking permits, but there may have been day hikers in the area before the flash floods, incident commander Dave Black said at a On Monday evening news conference.
- Officials made “hundreds of calls” and checked license plates to reduce the number of people unaccounted for to 15, then to 12 by On Monday morning, and then to one known person, Dave Black said.
- Texas chiropractor John Giusti, 46, died in the flood, his family and the families of two others said On Monday.