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ZION NATIONAL PARK — The search continued Monday for a woman who has been missing since flooding at Zion National Park prompted the rescue of several hikers on Friday.
The National Park Service and Washington County Sheriff's Office are now searching south of the park with dog handlers at areas "in or near the Virgin River, including fast-flowing and deep water," as well as continuing to search the river in Zion, the park service said in a statement.
Crews also looked for the woman in those areas on Sunday. They will continue to monitor the weather as they plan search efforts, according to the statement.
The Riverside Walk and Narrows remained closed Monday as search and rescue operations continued. Emerald Pool and the Kayenta Trail continue to be closed since Aug. 18 due to rain. Virgin River Narrows camping permits and top-down river hiking permits have also been canceled. Angels Landing and other areas of the canyon remain open.
Park shuttle buses are only stopping between the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and the Grotto within Zion Canyon, but shuttle service in Springdale is unaffected by the search.
Zion National Park rangers responded Friday afternoon to a report that multiple hikers were swept away by flash flooding while hiking the Narrows near the Temple of Sinawava, park officials said. While rangers did not find anyone unaccounted for at the time, later Friday night, rangers received a report of one missing person from a park visitor.
Jetal Agnihotri, of Arizona, was at Zion National Park with some university friends. Her friends reported she went forward while they hung back. The friends told KSL-TV that Agnihotri is a hydrology major and knows about water, but does not know how to swim.
