World · Grand Canyon floodGrand Canyon Flood: 2 Dead, ~15 Unaccounted As Storms ReturnAired August 31, 2026 at 7:05 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Two people are dead and about 15 are still unaccounted for inside the Grand Canyon.0:04The search is being flown by helicopter tonight because the footbridges that carried0:08hikers across Bright Angel Creek are gone and more monsoon storms are moving in.0:12Whether the teams reach everyone still missing before the next wave of rain is the0:16question that decides how this ends.0:18Park figures put about 15 people unaccounted for as of Monday.0:22None of them is confirmed dead.0:24These are people who may be missing either on a backcountry itinerary in the inner0:27canyon or believed to be dayhiking the North Kaibab to Phantom Ranch corridor.0:31The tally moves every time a hiker reports in and it has already fallen for more0:35than 20 on Sunday morning.0:37The flood was monsoon runoff, not a dam failure or a water release.0:41Four waves of rain fell on the plateau above the watershed.0:45The fourth and heaviest hit around 2.30 p.m.0:47Saturday, dropping roughly half an inch to a full inch in about 30 minutes.0:52Most of it came off immediately over bare rock, and the creek, which falls about0:566,000 feet from the north rim to the Colorado, surged more than five feet in roughly1:00ten minutes.1:07Teams are covering the North Kaibab Trail from its trailhead down to Phantom Ranch,1:12the Bright Angel and Cottonwood Campgrounds, the narrow corridor of Bright Angel1:16Creek, known as the Box and Crystal Rapids, where the first body was recovered and1:20where debris and metal structures have been pushed into the river.1:23At least 62 people had been airlifted out by Sunday morning, most by helicopter with1:28state police assisting.1:30And some local accounts put the figure at 64.1:32Evacuees went to a cafeteria on the South Rim, where the Red Cross is helping, and1:37no injuries were reported among those lifted.1:39The heaviest rain arrived Saturday afternoon.1:42That same day the flood ripped through the Phantom Ranch complex.1:46Sunday evening, the park recovered the body of a 46-year-old man near Crystal1:49Rapids.1:50Monday morning, a second body was found, and by noon Monday, the water restrictions1:54were in force.1:56One name has surfaced in the reporting.1:58Relatives have been quoted naming 46-year-old John Eustey, a Texas chiropractor,2:02among those missing.2:03The Park Service has not confirmed him, not as the man recovered at Crystal Rapids,2:07and not among those still unaccounted for.2:09So he is not being presented as an identified victim.2:12A burn scar left by last year's Dragon Bravo fire in that watershed had been flagged2:17in advance as a risk for faster runoff and debris, but officials have not said the2:21fire caused this flood.2:22It is a possible amplifier, not the trigger.2:25The flood cut the canyon's infrastructure hard.2:28The Trans Canyon water line, the main supply line into the inner canyon, is not2:32running, with about 40% damaged or destroyed in a preliminary estimate.2:36Nearly all the footbridges across Bright Angel Creek are destroyed, so hikers can no2:40longer cross the creek.2:41With the water line down, the park imposed stage 4 water restrictions at noon Monday2:46and closed overnight lodging at all six concession properties.2:49Campgrounds are dry camping only with fires banned, and the park remains open for2:53day use, closed until further notice.2:55Phantom Ranch, the entire North Kaibab Trail, both bridges over the Colorado, and2:59all river traffic in the debris zone.3:01What stands out this year is not the rain.3:04Side canyon floods are a normal monsoon occurrence here, and the closest historical3:08analog is the December 1966 Crystal Creek flood, which dumped boulders into the3:12Colorado and created Crystal Rapid in exactly the reach where the first body was3:16found this week.3:17What is unusual is the simultaneous loss of the footbridge system and a large share3:21of the water line, plus an accounting problem that has now stretched across days.3:25The flood watch runs through Monday evening, with more storms, debris flows, and3:29rockfall risk, and destroyed crossings plus terrain no vehicle can reach are forcing3:34helicopters to do the work.3:35With no date set to reopen anything, the outcome hinges on how many of those still3:39unaccounted for can be located before the next rain arrives.3:42The park is asking anyone with information to call a tip line at 888-653-0009.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗