Two Dead, One Missing After Grand Canyon Flash Flood

Nearly 80 people were rescued after floodwaters tore through Bright Angel Creek, destroying footbridges and damaging the park's water line.

2026-09-01 14:52 UTC

Two Dead, One Missing After Grand Canyon Flash Flood — bbc.com

The Flood at Bright Angel Creek

A flash flood swept through the bottom of the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Saturday afternoon, killing at least two people and forcing the airlift of dozens of hikers and campers. The National Parks Service (NPS) said the significant flooding began in Bright Angel Canyon at around 14:30 local time.

The water wiped out footbridges and pushed boulders downstream. Bright Angel Creek flows into the Colorado River near Phantom Ranch, a lodge that the Guardian describes as having sheltered exhausted hikers for more than a century.

Nikki Baggs, 41, who was airlifted out of the canyon with two friends, told the BBC: "The whole thing was terrifying. It was a beautiful day and then people were screaming, running."

The Search for the Missing

Thirty people were initially unaccounted for, but rangers reduced that number to one, Incident Commander Dave Black told reporters on Monday. Rangers used the park's permit system and checked vehicle license plates to track who was missing.

"As of right now, they have no reason to believe, from the tips we've been through so far, that there's anybody besides the one" missing person, Black said, according to the Guardian.

The Guardian reports that a US border patrol technical search team is expected to deploy to assist. The BBC reported that crews would be sent out on Tuesday morning to search the area between Phantom Ranch and Cottonwood Manzanita.

The Victims and the Damage

Black described the two people who died as adult males and said he would not disclose further details about their identities. The NPS said it had found the body of a 46-year-old man near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River.

The Guardian reports that families identified the dead as chiropractor John Giusti, 46, and martial arts studio owner Brent Rosenkranz, 42, who had been hiking together. A third friend on the trip, 53-year-old pilot Timothy Smith, was still missing. The men had been camping at the bottom of the canyon since Friday.

Nearly all footbridges across Bright Angel Creek were destroyed. The NPS closed Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the entire North Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch, Black Bridge, Silver Bridge and the Colorado River.

Water Supply and Weather

Preliminary assessments indicated that about 40% of the Transcanyon Waterline, which supplies water to visitors and roughly 2,500 residents, was damaged or destroyed, the NPS said on Monday.

Further heavy rain was forecast overnight from Monday into Tuesday, raising the risk of more flash flooding, debris flows and rock falls. The rains are the result of monsoonal showers, driven by a seasonal wind shift that pulls warm, moist air north from the Gulf of California and the tropical Pacific.

The Guardian reports the flood was probably intensified by a mix of drought, wildfire scarring and warming Pacific Ocean temperatures. About five million people visit the Grand Canyon each year, and the Bright Angel trail is its most popular hike.

Two Dead, One Missing After Grand Canyon Flash Flood

The Flood at Bright Angel Creek

The Search for the Missing

The Victims and the Damage

Water Supply and Weather

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