Zion Park releases names of 7 killed in flash flooding

The seven victims of the Keyhole Canyon flood.

Steve Arthur and his wife Linda were part of the group.

As weather conditions improved in the park, rescuers were able to locate the last missing person, Linda Arthur, on Thursday.

The seventh body was found Thursday in Zion after the group set out Monday, Washington County sheriff’s Detective Nate Abbott said.

Photo found after floodings reveals final image of 7 hikers].

Since the incident, the family has been discussing possibilities with officials at Zion National Park on how to contact hikers when they’re in no-cell service areas.

Six members of the group were from California and one was from Nevada and all were in their 40s and 50s, Baltrus said. “I think it’s gonna go back how it was, quite honestly, but for this week we’ve been working together and everyone’s been doing what they can to recover the bodies”.

She said rangers would only decline to issue a permit if an official flash flood warning was posted.

Six bodies recovered in Zion National Park”, “footerText”: “Brought To You By”, “authorLineLabel”: “By”, “showBylineLabel”: “null, “showDatelineLabel”: “null, “showPublicationDateLabel”: “null, “authorSnippetLabel”: “By”, “showNativeInfoTooltipText”: “true, “showNativeAdSynopsis”: “true, “showByline”: “true, “showDateline”: “true, “showPublicationDate”: “true, “hasAuthor”: “true, “displayMultipleAuthors”: “false, “showAuthor”: “true, “showAuthorSnippet”: “true, “showSubHeadline”: “false }’ [Native Advertisement] “Ninety percent of Zion is wilderness”, Picard said”.

The seven hikers were clambering through a popular canyon when a deluge seen only once a century unleashed a wall of churning water. Others in the group were passionate about the sport and knew each other through a hiking club in Valencia, California, loved ones said Friday.

Some of the seven hikers took a canyoneering skills course just before the excursion, park officials said.

Linda Arthur is pictured in a Facebook photo.

Authorities are releasing the names of those killed in this weeks rampaging flash flooding in the Zion National Park.

The route is considered entry level, according to canyoneering experts.

Arthur was excited about the trip and boasted about getting the permits for Keyhole Canyon, which only 80 people a day are allowed to visit. Everyone in that group survived.

Don Teichner, 55, of Mesquite, Nevade, was also among the dead.

This week’s deaths marked the greatest loss of life in Zion’s history, surpassing a 1963 tragedy in which five people were killed by flash flooding in the Virgin River Narrows, Purcell said.

“It is devastating”, Pipkin said Tuesday from her home.

Zion National Park is now reviewing its permit policy to see if the canyon should be closed whenever there is even a chance for rain.

Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said: “Our heartfelt sympathies go out to those affected by the flash flooding in Keyhole Canyon”.

The flood water swept away multiple vehicles in the Utah-Arizona border town, killing several people. When it rains, however, they can fill with raging rain water in an instant, leaving people with no escape.

The Arthurs’ daughter, Allison, on behalf of herself, her brothers, Justin and Bobby, and others who lost loved ones in Monday’s flood submitted a group photo, included at the top of this report.

Ryan Mertlich’s auto was discovered heavily damaged in a flood plain about 15 miles west of Colorado City. Arthur was a 21-year veteran with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department in California.

Victim Muku Reynolds is pictured above.