More than twenty hikers are missing after a major flash flood swept through the Grand Canyon national park in Arizona on Saturday afternoon.

Emergency teams have evacuated dozens of people from the area, with park staff and the Arizona department of public safety successfully moving more than 60 individuals to safety as of Sunday morning.

The flash-flood event occurred around Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch, two central locations within the national park.

According to the National Park Service, at least 15 people may be missing or unaccounted for following the sudden surge of water, while initial reports indicate more than twenty hikers remain missing overall.

The flooding struck during the afternoon on Saturday, rapidly inundating canyon pathways and prompting an immediate rescue operation across the affected trails.

Park staff coordinated directly with the Arizona department of public safety to extract dozens of visitors who had been cut off near Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch.

By Sunday morning, more than 60 people had been safely evacuated, but search operations remain focused on locating those who have not yet reported in.

What we do not know yet is the exact condition of those who are unaccounted for, or whether other hikers were caught further along the trail network outside the primary evacuation points.

Official figures regarding the missing currently range from at least 15 individuals confirmed unaccounted for by the National Park Service to more than twenty reported in broader assessments.

Search efforts are continuing on the ground as emergency teams review trail registries and assess the canyon floor. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.