US park rangers are searching for more than 20 people unaccounted for following a Saturday flash flood in Arizona’s Grand Canyon.

“The National Park Service is asking the public to provide information for more than 20 individuals who may be missing or unaccounted for,” it said on Sunday. The flood hit the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch areas, located in the remote interior of the park – a major tourist attraction – along the Colorado River in the afternoon.

The service has urged anyone who knows of hikers with campground reservations or who were traveling through the Bright Angel Creek corridor on Saturday to contact the agency.

Staff from the Grand Canyon National Park in the Southeastern US are currently coordinating with the Arizona Department of Public Safety to do evacuations and locate potential victims.

As of Sunday morning, 62 individuals have been successfully evacuated from Phantom Ranch and the lower North Kaibab Trail. Authorities said based on the latest available data that they have not seen any injuries.

Infrastructure destruction and closures

The surge of water caused catastrophic damage to the park's trail infrastructure. Nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek, a major tributary of the Colorado River, were destroyed, effectively eliminating hiker access across the waterway. Consequently, the park service has closed Phantom Ranch, the Bright Angel Campground, and the entire North Kaibab Trail until further notice.

The Black Bridge and Silver Bridge, which cross the Colorado River, are also closed indefinitely.

The Colorado River is also closed to all traffic due to metal structures and debris that were swept into the water. The agency warned that additional thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are possible through Monday, potentially triggering further debris flows and rockfalls. (AA)