Death Toll From Flash Flooding in Southern Utah Rises to 19

The same unique geological quirks that lure people to the majestic slot canyons of the desert Southwest also make them deadly
Death Toll From Flash Flooding in Southern Utah Rises to 19
Search and rescue team members place a litter in a net for helicopter transport after finding a body in Pine Creek on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Zion National Park, near Springdale, Utah. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
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ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah—The death toll from flash floods that ripped through southern Utah reached 19 on Thursday after searchers found the final body from a group of seven hikers that were trapped in a narrow canyon in Zion National Park.

At least 12 others, including nine children, died Monday in a nearby town on the Utah-Arizona border when two cars were swept downstream by the raging waters. Search teams were still looking for a missing 6-year-old boy.

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

Park officials have not released the identities of the seven victims, six from California and one from Nevada. But the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department in Southern California said one of the dead is Sgt. Steve Arthur, 58.

Arthur’s family told the department that he had been confirmed dead, and his wife, Linda Arthur, was on the trip and remained missing, sheriff’s Capt. John Reilly said.

In this aerial photo searchers continue looking for 6-year-old Tyson Lucas Black in Zion National Park, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)
In this aerial photo searchers continue looking for 6-year-old Tyson Lucas Black in Zion National Park, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP