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11 missing after Grand Canyon flood: report
2008-08-19
PHOENIX, Arizona (AFP) - Eleven hikers remained unaccounted for after flash flooding that deluged a remote Grand Canyon village on an Indian reservation, local media reported here Tuesday. Chris English, a spokesman for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, told the Arizona Republic newspaper that the 11 hikers could have been swept downstream or could have already left the region. Authorities from the US National Park Service and the bureau were combing the creek where a muddy, raging torrent caused by days of heavy rain swept through Havasu Canyon on Sunday. "They're looking for people that may be up trees or on cliffs," English told the Arizona Republic. "We still don't have any reports of fatalities." At least 250 campers and residents were reportedly evacuated from the Native American tribal town of Supai and the surrounding wilderness. No injuries or major damage to Supai have been reported so far. Evacuees are being housed in a Red Cross shelter set up in the town of Peach Springs. Among the evacuees from the flood zone were six boy scouts and three adult guides from New Jersey who were left clinging to trees after the gentle stream they had camped beside was transformed into a raging river. Kevin Muench, who was on the trip with his two sons aged 13 and 11, told ABC News that large rocks and trees were swept away by the flood. "It was unbelievable," Muench said. "You'd see boulders four-foot in diameter being carried down the stream, and whole trees. "We were literally in the trees saying 'Our Father,'" Muench said. "We did a lot of praying ... I told the boys, it's OK to be scared, but we're going to be OK," he said. The group was eventually airlifted to safety after clambering onto a rockface. Supai is one of the most remote towns in the United States and is inaccessible by road. The only way into the town is by hiking over rugged wilderness or by air. The town is the capital of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, which is home to the spectacular Havasu Falls, a prime tourist attraction.
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