The Arizona (Flagstaff) Daily Sun reports that "Five members of a 12-person Swiss tourist group were injured Friday in a flash flood in the same canyon where 10 people drowned in a 1997 flash flood."
The tv station ABC15 in Phoenix, however, says it was 3 Swiss and 1 French national who were rescued but on Saturday. Another group of 8 were rescued reportedly from the Corkscrew area of the canyon further south.
This video posted on YouTube shows the slot canyon and why it could be dangerous in a flash flood.
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The fatal flash flood took place in Lower Antelope Canyon. This video is of Upper Antelope Canyon. In the upper canyon you can walk into it, and while it is still impacted by flash floods, which is how it was formed, it is much less dangerous. In the lower canyon you must descend down into it with permanently affixed ladders and you're over 100 feet underground. This is a VERY dangerous place to be in a flash flood. They have since installed warning sirens and other safety measures but the chance of death is very real.
ReplyDeleteWe were in the upper Antelope Canyon when the flash floods arrived on friday 30 july 2010 and suddendly we had to run out when the guides started shouting "Run! Run!!". Only about 30 seconds after we came out there was like a river of water coming out... A swiss woman came out "swimming", his son and his husband were the last people we saw coming out but nobody knew if there were people missing or victims! Some tourists and some local guides were shouting and crying... Complete caos! An italian woman was looking for his husband and he was found only about 1,5 hours later inside the canyon... Luckily nobody died this time... A collegue of mine asked a local navajo guide about the risks before entering but he was told everything was ok...
ReplyDeleteWe were also there !It was a nightmare,nobody care for people's life.Thay care just for money,that's it! NO INSTITUTION OR PERSON OBSERVING THE FLOOD SITUTION AND REGULATE THIS PLACE.The way which this park is run is unexeptable shame for the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel this is a shame for the USA! This is on NAVAJO land, owned and run by NAVAJO. It is under tribal law, not federal law! The money and fees for visiting Antelope canyon all go to a Navajo family that own it
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