![]() With darkness falling and the canyon already filling with floodwaters, they decided it wasn't safe to send in rescue crews. Rangers who were also dealing with small landslides and other effects of the storm found the group's cars, but did not see any sign of them. Monday, right after a fierce storm that dumped more than a half-inch of rain in less than an hour. All were in their 40s and 50s.Īnother hiker who had seen the group reported them overdue about 5:30 p.m. Six of the hikers were from California and one from Nevada. "It is not possible to contact everyone." "Ninety per cent of Zion is wilderness," Picard said. By that time, park officials say there was no way to reach them in time to alert them to the violent floodwaters coming their way. ![]() Zion officials said the group got a permit to hike Keyhole Canyon early that morning - hours before a flash flood warning prompted park officials to close the canyons. One is still missing.Ī sudden deluge of rain fueled the flood Monday evening, which "went from a trickle to a wall" of water, park ranger Therese Picard said. That decision proved deadly for one group of hikers who got trapped by floodwaters in a popular "slot" canyon as narrow as a window in some spots and several hundred feet deep. ![]() But dozens of adventure-seekers go anyway, eager to rappel down the colorful, undulating sandstone walls. ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah - Zion National Park rangers regularly warn hikers that flash flooding during monsoon season can turn southern Utah's beautiful canyons into deadly channels of fast-moving water and debris.
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