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ZION NATIONAL PARK — Three men and one woman have been killed in flash flooding in Zion National Park and three others are missing, park officials said.
The four victims were discovered downstream from Keyhole Canyon on Tuesday, park spokeswoman Aly Baltrus confirmed. Three others remained unaccounted for Tuesday evening.
All seven of the missing or deceased hikers were part of the same group that began canyoneering in the area a short time before flooding started around 4:30 p.m. Monday, Baltrus said. Nearly two-thirds of an inch of rain fell inside the national park within an hour.
Baltrus said park officials received word from some other canyoneers "shortly before the flooding began" that there was another group still in the canyon.
"They told us the group was moving pretty slow," she said, noting those who notified the park made it out of the canyon safely.
The canyoneers who went missing were from California and Nevada and consisted of four men and three women in their 40s and 50s, according to Baltrus. The names of the people confirmed killed were not immediately released, pending notification of family members.
The group's vacant vehicles were spotted Monday evening, and search and rescue crews began looking for the hikers Tuesday morning after discovering they still had not left the canyon. However, crews couldn't access the canyon because conditions remained too dangerous there.
"As the search continues for the missing hikers, high water levels and continued rain showers pose further flash flooding concerns and have hampered searchers' access to the technical portions of the canyoneering route," Baltrus said in a statement.
The search in the canyon was called off early Tuesday evening because of continued rain and the risk of further flooding in the area, she said.
"Any place that can flood might flood again tonight," Baltrus said. "Really, we are not used to this kind of rain. It floods and it floods really fast."
A cautious search downstream led to a fourth body being found, but those efforts were later also called off. A full search in that area will resume Wednesday morning, Baltrus said, and a more extensive search of the canyon is planned for as soon as the weather and canyon terrain improves.
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 dangerous flash floods. This includes strong thunderstorms and intense rainfall that can take place over several hours or even just a few minutes.
–Gov. Gary Herbert
She cautioned those who go hiking or canyoneering in southern Utah to be attentive to weather forecasts and adjust accordingly.
"We recommend that people pay attention to the weather before they decide to plan a trip or (to) make changes as they notice the weather is building," Baltrus said.
The National Weather Service issued another flash flood warning for Zion National Park through 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, saying on Twitter that "waterways (are) expected to reach dangerous levels." The park received close to 2 inches of rain between Sunday and Tuesday afternoons.
Keyhole Canyon is a small slot canyon popular with canyoneers. The canyon takes one to two hours to traverse and features several technical elements, including swimming and a 30-foot rappel. Clear Creek, Pine Creek and Virgin River all lie downstream from the canyon, where the preliminary search was conducted.
Canyoneers typically rappel, rock climb, swim and hike their way through various types of canyon formations, and Zion is a well-known destination for the activity, according to Utah-based Canyoneering USA. The organization suggests several safety measures, including using an experienced canyoneer as a beginner, knowing the landscape and conditions before setting out, wearing a helmet, and learning technical skills, such as repelling, well before trying canyoneering.
Heavy rains in the region also caused flash flooding in the Hildale and Colorado City area Monday night, killing 12 people and possibly 13. KSL-TV meteorologist Kevin Eubank said the combined deaths in the two floods made for the deadliest weather-related 24 hours in Utah's history.
Gov. Gary Herbert released a statement expressing grief over the destructive floods.
"I thank the first responders, volunteers and other officials involved in the recovery effort," Herbert said in part.
The governor also said the tragedies should bring the issue of emergency preparedness into the spotlight.
"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 dangerous flash floods," Herbert said. "This includes strong thunderstorms and intense rainfall that can take place over several hours or even just a few minutes."
Contributing: Nicole Vowell
