Incident Cmdr. Dave Black said searchers used night vision and other equipment to find people who needed rescuing during the deluge. By sunset Saturday, 45 people were rescued, and 37 more were evacuated Sunday.
Rangers referred to the park’s permit system and checked vehicle license plates to track the number of missing people.
“As of right now, they have no reason to believe, from the tips we’ve been through so far, that there’s anybody besides the one” missing person, Black said during a news conference Monday evening.
Two hikers are identified as rescuers search for their friend
The families of chiropractor John Giusti and martial arts studio owner Brent Rosenkranz, 42, identified them as the two people whose bodies have been recovered, said Hannah Barricks, a liaison for the families.
A third buddy — 53-year-old Wyoming pilot Timothy Smith — went on the trip with them and was still missing, Barricks said late Monday by text message.
The men spoke to their families Thursday and found their campsite Friday at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. They have not been heard from since, the three families said in a joint statement released earlier Monday through Barricks.
All three men had ties to Granbury, Texas. Their families said they planned “several days of hiking, camping, fishing and exploring together.”
The flood threatened people who hike far into the Grand Canyon
The flood happened deep in the canyon on Bright Angel Creek, which flows into the Colorado River near Phantom Ranch. The area has a set of historic dormitories, a canteen and a campground that is a popular stopover for river rafters and people hiking from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the other.
Scores of visitors had to be evacuated by helicopter. They talked of a massive deluge and rangers warning of rockslides and saw huge pools of logs and debris rolling down the river as they stood nearby awaiting rescue.
Hiker Daniel Evans said it rained several times before the worst 30-minute downpour Saturday afternoon. He had been planning to rest through the hot day and spend the night near the hard-hit Bright Angel Campground area.
Earlier, rangers told him it looked to be safe. Then, as the rain poured, they told him it was time to go. He thought of Nepal and the massive floods and landslides that poured down mountain valleys last week.
“The entire time it was raining — the entire time I’m going through all this and packing — I’m just keeping my eyes upstream, just praying that a wall of water isn’t coming toward us,” Evans said.
