Rescuers searched for a 6-year-old boy and a hiker missing on Wednesday after flash floods in southern Utah killed at least 18 people in a national park and a small town on the Arizona border.
In a double tragedy for the state, a wall of water and debris swept through Hildale, Utah, on Monday afternoon, sweeping away two cars and killing at least a dozen people, while at about the same time flooding killed six people and left one missing in Zion National Park.
More bad weather and the threat of further floods have hampered rescue operations in the park, county officials said.
Park officials said the group of seven hikers was seen entering the narrow Keyhole Canyon, a challenging route on the east side of the park that requires visitors to swim through several pools of water and rappel down steep slopes.
The search resumed Wednesday with more than 60 park rescue workers, sheriff's deputies and others checking Zion's Clear Creek, Pine Creek and Virgin River areas, officials said.
"Once weather conditions improve, they will also search Keyhole Canyon and Pine Creek Canyon," the park said in a statement, adding that the names of the dead and missing were being withheld until relatives are notified.
In Hildale, about 20 miles (32 km) to the south, hundreds of volunteers from more than 30 agencies, supported by the Utah National Guard, have worked for two days to search for the missing and clear thousands of tons of mud and debris.
The floods hit two vehicles packed with 16 people on Monday. Three boys escaped, officials said, but the rest were washed away. Twelve bodies were recovered on Tuesday, some of them miles downstream in Arizona.
The missing boy was identified on Wednesday as Tyson Lucas Black, 6, and officials said crews, some using sniffer dogs, were going back over the entire flood area, which extends for nearly seven miles (11 km) along the banks of Short Creek.
Hildale, home to fewer than 3,000 people, is twinned with Colorado City, across the border in Arizona.
Both cities are home to the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That sect is not affiliated with the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which renounced polygamy in 1890.
(Reporting by Peg McEntee; Additional reporting and writing by Daniel Wallis in Denver; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Eric Beech)
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.