More than one dozen park-goers have died in Grand Canyon national park this summer, with three perishing in just over one week in August, as weather extremes linked to climate change make for increasingly dangerous conditions.
With 14 deaths reported in the park this season, total fatalities have already almost reached the annual average of 15, the Hill reported.
One hiker who died, Chenoa Nickerson, was last seen on 22 August above the confluence of Havasu Creek and the Colorado River, National Park Service officials said. Nickerson was reported missing after a flash flood hit the Havasu canyon, and her body was found on 25 August.
The Havasupai tribe reported catastrophic flash floods, which damaged “the main trail to Supai Village, trails within the village, tribal member homes, public utility systems and the campgrounds,” on the day she went missing. An 80-year-old man died when his boat capsized on 25 August, plunging him into the Colorado River, per the Hill.