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People unaccounted for after Grand Canyon flood: report

Aug 18, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — An undisclosed number of people remain unaccounted for
following a dam burst at the Grand Canyon that forced the evacuation of
residents and tourists, local media reported Monday.

At least 170 campers and residents were reported to have been evacuated from
the Native American tribal town of Supai, north of Phoenix on Sunday after the
earthen Redlands Dam broke following days of torrential rain.

No injuries or major damage to Supai have been reported so far.

However US National Park Service spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge told local
network CBS5 on Monday that certain people believed to have been in the canyon
at the time of the flooding remained unaccounted for.

There was no indication of how many people might be missing. Neither Oltrogge
nor the local sheriff's department were able to elaborate when contacted by AFP
on Monday.

Tracey Kiest, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross in the Grand Canyon, could not
confirm if people were missing but said they were expecting more people to
arrive at a shelter in the town of Peach Springs set up for evacuees.

"Search and rescue efforts are under way. We are preparing for more people to
come into our shelter," she told AFP.

"We had 50 people register with us last night. We had a mixture of tourists
and (local residents)."

Kiest said evacuees reported a dramatic surge of water during the
flooding.

"I talked to some of the tourists who were on a rafting trip. They said they
had never seen a flash flood move that quickly or that intensely," Kiest
said.

A flash flood warning remains in effect for the area and rescuers were
evaluating whether to resume air evacuations on Monday, Oltrogge was quoted in
media reports as saying.

Supai is one of the most remote towns in the United States and is
inaccessible by road. The only way into the town is by hiking over rugged
wilderness or by air.

The town is the capital of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, which is home to
the spectacular Havasu Falls, a prime tourist attraction.

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