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Who was Jetal Agnihotri ?
The body of a hiker who went missing in a flash flood in Zion National Park last week has been found, the park announced Tuesday. Jetal Agnihotri, 29, of Tucson, Arizona, was found in the Virgin River near the Court of the Patriarchs, the park said.
“Our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Jetal Agnihotri,” park superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said in a statement.
Agnihotri disappeared on Friday when flash floods swept away several hikers, forcing park rangers and officials to launch rescue operations. The park received a report around 2:15 p.m. local time Friday that several hikers had been swept up in the Narrows near the Sinawava Temple, Zion National Park said in a statement.
During their initial search, rangers found an injured hiker who was transported to a hospital, the park said. The rangers also found several other visitors who had managed to avoid the flood by finding high ground. They were escorted to safety once the water levels receded, the park said.
Missing
“Throughout the afternoon and evening of August 19, Zion National Park rangers interviewed groups of visitors leaving the Narrows and Riverside Walk to ensure that no member of their group was missing,” the park said. “At that time, no hikers were reported missing.”
It wasn’t until later Friday night that Agnihotri was reported missing, the park said.
“In response, park rangers continued to monitor the river overnight and mobilized additional searchers early on August 20,” the park said. “Members of the Zion Search and Rescue team, as well as staff from many partner organizations, worked in and near the Virgin River searching for Ms. Agnihotri”
The area where she was found is about “six river miles south of the Narrows,” the park said.
Zion National Park is among the most visited recreational areas
Zion National Park is among the most visited recreational areas in the United States, though it frequently turns dangerous and is placed under flood warnings by the National Weather Service. Flooding can create danger for experienced hikers and climbers, as well as the many novices flocking to the park since the pandemic fueled the outdoor recreation boom. Despite warnings, flash floods often trap people in the park’s canyons, which in places are as narrow as windows and hundreds of feet deep.
“Once you’re there, you’re kind of S.O.L. if (a flash flood) happens,” said Scott Cundy, whose Arizona-based trekking company takes visitors on guided tours of the park.
Cundy vividly remembers one year when he was taking a group on a tour and turned to see a wall of water rushing towards them. They hurried to high ground in the Grand Canyon, a two-hour drive from Zion. Until moments before, he had not seen a cloud in the sky. “It happens very quickly,” he said. Given the topography, Cundy said he’ll cancel trips if there’s even a hint of rain in Zion’s narrow canyons.
