But until canyons are closed, rangers leave it up to visitors to determine whether it’s safe to continue their excursions, she said.
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The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings through 7:45 p.m. Tuesday for Zion National Park, as the saturated area could be hit again with light to moderate rainfall.
Four bodies were found a day after the group of four men and three women set out Monday to hike down the canyon, park spokeswoman Holly Baker said.
Someone who knew the group alerted park officials Monday that they hadn’t checked in after their trip.
Keyhole Canyon is what canyoneers call a “rap and swim” canyon, full of a series of drops where hikers rappel down into pools of water, said Colorado-based canyoneering expert Steve Allen. The floods came after heavy rains fell in the canyons just north of the sister towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, sending waves of water barreling through the streets. Only three children survived.
Cox says the boy’s mother and several siblings died in the flooding.
“Today’s tragedy also serves as a reminder to residents and those visiting our state to take appropriate precautions and be aware of the factors that contribute to unsafe flash floods”, Herbert said in a statement.
The federal team has previously combed through the rubble of the World Trade Center after the September 11 terrorist attacks and the devastation that followed Hurricane Katrina. The last body recovered was found 6 1/2 miles from where the two cars, a van and an SUV carrying 16 people, were swept away.
Their vehicle was found unoccupied, and a search effort began Tuesday morning, although continued rain made it hard for crews to reach the higher technical parts of the canyon, Baltrus said.
Park rangers say the group was told about the danger of flash flooding before they entered the canyon, but there was no way to warn them once the fast-moving waters began to rise.
Keyhole Canyon has a reputation as one of the park’s best for beginners, typically taking only a couple of hours to complete and with two places where people can get out if they do not want to stay in the canyon.
“Ninety percent of Zion is wilderness”, Picard said. Three people were rescued.
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Another hiker who had seen the group reported them overdue about 5:30 p.m. Monday, right after a fierce storm that dumped more than a half-inch of rain in less than an hour. Authorities have confirmed at least nine people have died in flash flooding that swept away two vehicles in Hildale, Utah, a town on the Utah-Arizona border. They are described as being in their 40s and 50s and from California and Nevada.
