Utah's Zion National Park late Thursday identified the seven hikers killed in a flash flood this week, hours after rescuers traversed a 100-foot drop into a rugged area to find the last of the victims.
The hikers — six from California and one from Nevada — were killed when fast-moving floodwaters rushed through a narrow park canyon Monday afternoon.
The park listed the California fatalities as Mark MacKenzie, 56, of Valencia; Linda Arthur, 57, and Steve Authur, 58, both of Camarillo; Gary Favela, 51, of Rancho Cucamonga; Muku Reynolds, 59, of Chino; and Robin Brum, 53, of Camarillo. The seventh flooding victim was Don Teichner, 55, of Mesquite, Nevada.
Park officials said Linda Arthur's body was found Thursday a few miles from the sandstone gorge where the group got trapped during a violent rainstorm, in an area that had been unreachable previously amid fears of more flooding. The rest of the victims were found earlier this week.
Some in the group were new to rappelling and were swimming through narrow canyons in a sport called canyoneering, but park policy prevents rangers from assessing their skill level or stopping them from going, even after repeated warnings of the flood risk Monday.
The park is investigating what led to the deaths and reviewing its policies, but the process for canyon entry permits is decided at the national level and any changes would likely need to come from the top down, park spokesman David Eaker said.
"Our heartfelt sympathies go out to those affected by the flash flooding in Keyhole Canyon," Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said Thursday night. "The canyoneers along with their families and friends are in our thoughts."
The flash flooding also killed at least 12 other people, including nine children, in a nearby polygamous town on the Utah-Arizona border. Raging waters swept two cars downstream, leaving a 6-year-old boy still missing. Three other children survived.
Authorities in Mohave County, Arizona, said Thursday they were searching for a 33-year-old man from the area who has been missing since the flash floods hit Monday. Ryan Mertlich's car was discovered heavily damaged in a flood plain about 15 miles west of Colorado City.
Mertlich's family reported him missing Tuesday, saying he typically drives the back roads in the area, said Mohave County sheriff's spokeswoman Trish Carter.
Zion Park rangers closed the its canyons after the storm hit, but there was no way to warn those already inside the majestic slot formations, which can quickly fill with rain water and leave people with no escape.
Aside from one spot near the entrance of Keyhole Canyon, "there really is no high ground. You're in a slot pretty much the whole way," Eaker said.