Body of missing Grand Canyon hiker found after flash flooding prompted rescues of more than 100 people

Rebekah Riess, Zoe Sottile, Chris Boyette and Sharif Paget, CNN

(CNN) — The assemblage of a missing hiker was recovered on nan Colorado River connected Sunday aft flash flooding successful Grand Canyon National Park prompted nan rescues of much than 100 people.

Search and rescue operations began Thursday, erstwhile flash flooding swept hiker Chenoa Nickerson, 33, into nan park’s Havasu Creek, according to nan National Park Service. A commercialized stream travel group discovered her assemblage Sunday adjacent mile 176 of nan Colorado River.

The parkland work and nan Coconino County aesculapian examiner are conducting an investigation, nan parkland work said successful a Sunday news release.

Hazardous flooding besides led Arizona’s National Guard to usage a UH-60 Blackhawk chopper to evacuate 104 visitors and tribal members from a canyon connected nan lands of nan Havasupai Tribe wrong nan parkland connected Saturday, video from nan Arizona National Guard showed.

Flooding triggered by monsoon storms connected Thursday forced section authorities to unopen down nan area to visitors and prompted respective emergency evacuations.

Tribal leaders besides closed nan distant colony of Supai, located 8 miles beneath nan rim of nan Grand Canyon, nan Havasupai Tribal Council said successful a news merchandise connected Saturday.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs activated nan Arizona National Guard to assistance pinch rescue efforts connected nan Havasupai Indian Reservation, which is surrounded by Grand Canyon National Park, according to KNXV. CNN meteorologists said nary rainfall is forecast for nan area successful nan coming days.

‘We crossed rivers, formed quality chains’

A joined North Carolina mates told CNN arsenic they hiked successful nan Havasupai Indian Reservation connected Thursday, thing could person prepared them for what was astir to happen.

Shruti Chopra, 34, knew rainfall was successful nan forecast but said she didn’t expect it would consequence successful aggravated flash flooding. “It did not moreover hap to america that we were successful danger,” she told CNN.

She and her husband, on pinch a family of four, ducked into a cove to debar getting drenched, Chopra said. As they waited for nan rainfall to stop, a man riding a mule, who Chopra described arsenic a Native American, spotted them and yelled, “Higher ground! Higher ground!”

Sensing nan panic successful his sound and seeing really accelerated nan area was starting to flood, they started climbing. After reaching higher ground, nan group of six group disconnected for nan nearest village.

“For nan adjacent 3 hours, we crossed rivers, formed quality chains and hacked done nan thorny bushes and cacti,” Chopra said. At 1 point, she said, a immense boulder collapsed correct successful beforehand of them, hitting a tree, which sent a ample branch successful their direction.

After arriving astatine nan village, Chopra said they were greeted by different hikers. The National Guard evacuated her and her hubby to information Saturday morning.