A 29-year-old woman was found dead and others were injured following a flash flood in Grand Canyon National Park, the National Park Service said Friday.
Authorities were notified on Thursday that two individuals were missing and others were injured after a flood on the Colorado River. It wasn't until Friday morning that Grand Canyon officials received a sighting of the missing people.
When help arrived, Rebecca Copeland, 29, of Ann Arbor Michigan was found and declared dead. The other individual, who remains unnamed, was uninjured.
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Five people were evacuated by air early Friday and one was in critical condition, according to NPS.
In the desert southwest, flash floods are common because the environment has little ability to absorb rainfall. As a result, the rain is able to move quickly through the narrow canyons.
"In many areas, even small storms can turn normally dry streambeds into raging torrents of water in a matter of minutes. Be alert for the possibility of flash flooding anytime that rainfall is forecast," according to NPS.
NPS and the Coconino County Medical Examiner have launched an investigation into the incident.
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