Grand Canyon flash flood: hikers recount terror, two dead, one missing

A sudden and violent monsoon storm turned a routine hike into a nightmare for dozens of people in a remote section of the Grand Canyon's North Rim on Saturday. The flash flood that followed killed two people, left one missing, and forced the airlift of more than 80 hikers to safety.

Hikers described a scene that shifted from calm to chaos in minutes. Drew Harrell, an emergency medicine physician and medical director for Grand Canyon National Park, was on a training hike when the weather turned. "It went from relatively clear skies to blowing winds in the time frame of about a minute," he said, estimating gusts at 40 mph. Within moments, torrential rain, hail, and roaring water engulfed the canyon floor.

Parth Desai, another physician in the group, recalled seeing "waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere." The group scrambled to higher ground, dodging falling rocks and debris as the creek swelled into a raging torrent.

Mike Sumaruk, a first-time visitor from Tulsa, Oklahoma, was at Cottonwood Campground when he heard a roar he initially mistook for thunder. "I unzipped the tent and got out and saw the huge wall of water," he said. He and about a dozen others were stranded until a ranger reached them on foot and they were airlifted the next day.

Tom Monroe, from Flagstaff, Arizona, was hiking with two friends when the storm hit. "It started just opening up, holy hell raining on us," he said. The trio took shelter under rock overhangs as boulders the size of beach balls tumbled down the cliffs. The downpour lasted only 20 minutes, but Monroe said, "None of us can really stop thinking about it."

Park rangers moved dozens of people at Phantom Ranch to safer ground before floodwaters destroyed key footbridges, likely preventing further casualties, according to Harrell. The National Park Service now faces the daunting task of repairing miles of washed-out trails, replacing bridges, and rebuilding a critical water-supply line.

Despite the ordeal, Sumaruk is already planning a return trip. "I'm definitely going to give it another shot," he said.