This week, there is a chance of thunderstorms and showers in the Zion area on Wednesday and Thursday, which can increase flash flooding risk, according to the weather service. Permits to camp or hike along the Narrows from the top of the river downward also were canceled due to the search, but are now being honored or granted again, the official said. The Narrows and Riverside Walk trail in the park were closed amid the search, but have since reopened, a park official confirmed. “Our deepest sympathy goes out to the friends and family of Jetal Agnihotri,” Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park superintendent, said in a statement. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the effort.Īgnihotri’s remains were ultimately found 6 river miles south of the Narrows, near the park’s Court of the Patriarchs area, officials said. More than 170 first responders including swift-water rescuers and search dogs scoured the Virgin River for Agnihotri through Monday while park rangers monitored the river overnight. Video posted to social media by Jesse Harris showed water rushing down a street around 2:30 p.m. “Our deepest sympathy goes out to the friends and family,” said Jeff Bradybaugh, Zion National Park's superintendent.One injured hiker was taken to a hospital by ambulance other hikers who managed to reach high ground were left stranded until water levels receded and rangers could help them down to safety. An urban and small stream flood advisory was in effect for Cedar City through Enoch until 6 p.m. The National Park Service said floodwaters had increased the amount flowing through the Virgin River by up to 8,229 gallons (31,149 liters) during the monsoonal rains that swept Agnihotri downstream. They are among the destination’s most scenic and visited areas.īut flooding, this year and historically, can transform canyons, slick rocks and normally dry washes into deadly channels of fast-moving water and debris in mere minutes. Slot canyons in Zion National Park can be as narrow as windows and hundreds of feet deep in certain parts. Agnihotri’s brother told local television station KSL-TV that she did not know how to swim. ![]() ![]() While the rest of the group made it to safety, Agnihotri did not, prompting rangers to embark on a search mission that used swift water trained rescuers, search dogs, and more than 170 emergency responders, the National Park Service said.īoth the National Weather Service and Washington County, Utah, had issued flood warnings for the area that day. His cause of death appeared to be drowning, according to data obtained through a public records request. In September 2015, seven people drowned in a similar storm in the park and another 12 people died in a nearby town.Īgnihotri was hiking with friends through a well-known slot canyon called The Narrows when the group was swept downstream by flash floodwaters overtaking the Virgin River. The hikers body was found on a bank of the Virgin River. In previous years, similar floods have caused walls of water as tall as buildings, engulfing vehicles, rolling boulders and tearing out trees. It's the latest reminder of the dangers of hiking in the narrow red rock canyons in the southern Utah park during monsoon season. Flash floods can occur at any time in Zion National Park and in the desert southwest. ![]() Park authorities found the woman on Wednesday, November 23. Her death was announced a day later after it was confirmed by medical examiners. A woman is dead after going on an overnight hike of the Narrows in Zion National Park, the National Park Service said. The flooding shut down part of the national park, including. Jetal Agnihotri, 29, of Tucson, Arizona, was discovered Monday about 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) south of the area where she was swept away by floodwaters, ending a four-day search, Zion National Park spokesman Jonathan Shafer said in a news release. The family was one of many stuck in one of Zion’s flash floods, park officials said. ![]() SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - An Arizona woman has died after she was swept away during flash flooding four days ago at Utah’s Zion National Park, officials said Tuesday.
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