This photo provided by John Dillon shows the effects of flooding in the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon on Thursday, July 15, 2021. The river that's normally a greenish color turned a muddy brown from flash floods that have inundated Arizona. Authorities are searching for two people who were on a river rafting trip through the Grand Canyon and went missing after a flash flood, a park spokeswoman said Thursday. (John Dillon via AP)
The Associated Press
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - Grand Canyon National Park officials on Friday identified a Michigan woman as the person found dead in frigid water after a flash flood swept through a commercial rafting group's overnight camp site along the Colorado River.
Rebecca Copeland, 29, of Ann Arbor, was found Thursday near the camp washed away Wednesday evening by a torrent of water that rushed through a slot canyon, park officials said in a statement.
Copeland was a passenger on a commercial rafting group that had set up its overnight camp at an established site about a quarter of a mile (0.40 kilometer) from the slot canyon, National Park Service spokeswoman Kaitlyn Thomas told The Associated Press.
A different commercial rafting group found Copeland and that group also found an uninjured second person who also had been reported missing, the statement said.
Five injured people, including one in critical condition, were evacuated by air from the canyon, the statement said. Their identities weren't released.
The injured were 'œvery seriously bludgeoned by debris," Thomas said.
Thomas said she didn't know whether the other group that found Copeland and the uninjured person was actively searching for them at the time. 'œI am confident that the river community did know something was up but I imagine they were on the lookout."
The National Park Service was investigating the incident in coordination with the Coconino County medical examiner, the statement said.
The flood hit the camp set up about 40 miles (64 kilometers) downstream from where the rafts launched at Lees Ferry near the Arizona-Utah state line, turning the normally greenish-colored river into a muddy brown.
Forecasters had issued a flash flood watch for the area Wednesday, but it wasn't clear whether the rafting guides were aware.
The flood was part of monsoon storms that have inundated Arizona this week, including in Flagstaff where streets in some areas were left a muddy mess as water mixed with logs and debris swept through.
The entire Southwest, which has been desperate for rain after two years of dismal monsoon activity, has been hammered lately with storms. More rain is in the forecast.
This drone image provided by the Golder Ranch Fire District shows firefighters safely rescue a man and his two daughters from the roof of their vehicle after it was swept away in fast moving water just north of Tucson, Ariz., on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. (Golder Ranch Fire District via AP)
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A bobcat moves a wet slurry of ash, mud and forest debris into a pile to be removed after the muck was left behind from flooding caused by a monsoon rain event over the 2019 Museum Fire burn area in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The threat of flash flooding will remain through next week, the National Weather Service said, though the coverage will be more scattered than widespread. (Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun via AP)
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A resident uses a snow shovel to throw water over a berm of sandbags while trying to keep floodwater out of their home in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The threat of flash flooding will remain through next week, the National Weather Service said, though the coverage will be more scattered than widespread. (Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun via AP)
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Anissa Doten uses a five gallon bucket to bail water out of her front yard at the corner as a second day of flooding from monsoon rain falling on the Museum Fire burn area impacts neighborhoods in Flagstaff, Ariz. on Wednesday, July 14, 2021.The threat of flash flooding will remain through next week, the National Weather Service said, though the coverage will be more scattered than widespread. (Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun via AP)
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A crew using hand tools and a bobcat work to clear streets after flash flooding in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The threat of flash flooding will remain through next week, the National Weather Service said, though the coverage will be more scattered than widespread. (Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun via AP)
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Shawn Newell digs out piles of muck from her driveway and front garden left behind by extensive flooding in Flagstaff, Ariz. on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The threat of flash flooding will remain through next week, the National Weather Service said, though the coverage will be more scattered than widespread. (Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun via AP)
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A resident shovels back floodwater as monsoon rains fell on the Museum Fire burn area causing flooding from the Paradise Wash in east Flagstaff, Ariz. on Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The threat of flash flooding will remain through next week, the National Weather Service said, though the coverage will be more scattered than widespread. (Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun via AP)
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