Grand Canyon flash flood kills two, one hiker still missing

Coverage spread: 4 sources — 4 unrated

Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.

Where they agree

Flash flooding hit the inner Grand Canyon on Saturday, Aug. 29, around 2:30 p.m., centered on the Bright Angel Creek corridor, Phantom Ranch, and Cottonwood Campground.
Two people died and one person remained officially missing as of the most recent updates, down from an initial fear of up to 15-30 unaccounted for.
One victim was identified by family as Dr. John Giusti, a 46-year-old Texas chiropractor and father of three, traveling with two friends who are still missing.
The flood destroyed bridges and damaged the park’s water pipeline, prompting closures of trails, campgrounds and lodging and a shift toward search-and-recovery operations.

Where they differ

AZFamily and ABC15 dig into the cause, tracing the flood to the Dragon Bravo Fire’s 2025 burn scar and steep terrain, while FOX 10 and 12 News focus mainly on casualty counts and evacuation accounts.
FOX 10’s earlier reporting cites roughly 15 people initially feared missing, while 12 News and AZFamily report a higher initial figure of around 30, reflecting the fast-changing numbers as permits were cross-checked.
AZFamily includes direct quotes from Giusti’s wife and names both missing friends (Brent Rosenkranz and Timothy Allen Smith) with detailed biographical information, which other outlets do not provide in full.
ABC15 emphasizes technical detail on rainfall rates and terrain steepness, while FOX 10 emphasizes firsthand hiker and worker testimony about the evacuation itself.

Flash flooding tore through the inner Grand Canyon on Saturday, Aug. 29, killing two hikers and leaving one more unaccounted for as of Tuesday. The flood, triggered by intense monsoon rain falling on the Dragon Bravo Fire’s 2025 burn scar above Bright Angel Creek, stranded 82 people, destroyed footbridges, and damaged the park’s main water pipeline.

Who was killed and who is still missing?

One of the men killed was identified by his family as Dr. John Giusti, 46, a chiropractor from Granbury, Texas, and father of three daughters. His wife, Janet Giusti, described him in a statement as “a gifted healer” to his community, “a powerhouse of life” to friends, and “their ultimate hero” to his daughters. Giusti had arrived at the canyon on Friday with two friends, planning to hike Saturday; both friends have been missing since. Family members identified them as 42-year-old Brent Rosenkranz, also of Granbury and a martial arts instructor and school owner with three sons, and 53-year-old Timothy Allen Smith, originally from Granbury and now living in Wyoming, a father of three and a NetJets pilot. Officials have not formally named either man recovered, but confirmed one body was found near Crystal Rapids on Sunday and a second was recovered from the Colorado River on Monday afternoon. As of Monday’s briefing, Incident Commander Dave Black said only one person remained confirmed missing, based on cross-checking park permits, though he cautioned that untracked day hikers who don’t require permits could theoretically still be unaccounted for.

How many people were caught in the canyon?

Officials said 82 people were stranded in the canyon when the flooding hit the Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Creek, and Cottonwood Campground areas around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Rescue teams evacuated 45 people by sunset Saturday and another 37 by Sunday afternoon, using night-vision equipment and vehicle license plates to track who remained. All park employees were accounted for and safe. A plumber working in the canyon, Joey Martin, said his group of 16 workers and roughly 50 hikers made it out safely and were airlifted, but said he was still praying for those who didn’t. Search crews, including four dog teams focused on body recovery, planned to keep working through Tuesday.

What caused the flooding?

Officials and reporting point to a combination of factors rather than rain alone. The Dragon Bravo Fire burned part of the North Rim in 2025, destroying the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and other structures, and left a burn scar sitting directly above upper Bright Angel Creek. Burned soil repels water instead of absorbing it, so rain runs off bare rock instead of soaking in. Park officials had flagged the creek as a debris-flow risk after the fire but concluded a typical monsoon storm wouldn’t trigger a flood; Saturday’s storm was not typical. Rain gauges recorded up to an inch and a quarter of rainfall, with radar estimating a rate of 5 inches per hour at 2:30 p.m., and one storm reportedly dumped about two-thirds of an inch in just 15 minutes. Bright Angel Creek also drops roughly 6,000 feet in under 15 miles, among the steepest stream grades in the country, which sped the runoff into a debris flow of mud, ash, trees and boulders that hikers described as a four-foot wall bearing down on them, forcing some to run uphill to escape.

What damage did the flood leave behind?

The flood destroyed nearly every footbridge on Bright Angel Creek and damaged the Transcanyon Waterline, the pipeline supplying water to the entire park. Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Campground, the Phantom Ranch canteen and cabins, and the North Kaibab Trail from its trailhead to Phantom Ranch are all closed indefinitely, as are the Black Bridge and Silver Bridge over the Colorado River. The river itself is closed to traffic while crews clear metal and debris. Officials have barred tourists from staying at in-park lodges and hotels and imposed emergency water restrictions on year-round residents. There is no timeline for reopening, and more storms — with continued flood risk — were forecast for the following week.

How can the public help the search?

The National Park Service is asking anyone who knows of hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on Aug. 29, or who held a campground reservation there, to contact investigators — including people without permits. Tips can be submitted to the NPS tip line at 888-653-0009 or by email to nps_isb@nps.gov.

Sources

Featured photo: Tuxyso via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)