Grand Canyon National Park rangers searching for three .....

[hikeaz]

Grand Canyon, Ariz. – Grand Canyon National Park rangers searching for three individuals in the Colorado River.

At approximately 8:45 this morning the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center, located within Grand Canyon National Park, received a 9-1-1 call from Phantom Ranch and a call from an emergency phone located at Boat Beach near Phantom Ranch with reports of three individuals in the water. Witnesses stated they saw three individuals jump into the river near Boat Beach and were last seen being swept downriver.

Park rangers are currently conducting an aerial search of the river below Boat Beach and have personnel staged on the river near Pipe Creek approximately 1 ½ mile below Boat Beach. Park rangers are also staged at Phantom Ranch, which is located approximately ½ mile below Boat Beach and a park ranger is with family members that were with the individuals at the time of the incident.

Additional personnel from Grand Canyon's River district are in route and will join search operations on the river.

The National Park Service is also being assisted by a boat crew from a commercial concessioner, Diamond River Adventures, at Pipe Creek.

Water temperatures in the Colorado River in this area, range from approximately 49 – 52 degrees.

Additional details will be forthcoming as they become available.

[big_load]

Not good.

[Sun_Ray]

I just watched the evening news in Phoenix and they said they have not been found yet.

[azbackpackr]

It makes me feel sick inside, very sad. It will be a miracle if they are found alive.

There are a lot of signs posted, "do this, don't do that," along both Kaibab and BA trails. I wonder if there is a "no swimming" sign at the boat beach? Or any sign warning of the river's dangers?

[Davis2001r6]

Yes there are signs at the beach.

[writelots]

I've been thinking about this since I read it yesterday. Such a terrifying thought. I remember a friend of mine jumping in at boat beach, just a few feet from the shore, and I was nervous because I could just feel the power of the river's current behind them. I certainly hope for the best, but fear the worst. You simply cannot underestimate that river (or anyting in the GC).

[big_load]

You simply cannot underestimate that river

Yes, I get nervous on the shore, as if the river will reach out to grab me and suck my life out. I spent many years boating on and swimming in the Mississippi and many more years near the Delaware, so I'm used to big, strong rivers. The Colorado is definitely not to be messed with.

[hikeaz]

Three people who jumped into the Colorado River on Thursday morning and were swept away were part of a group visiting the Grand Canyon from a Tempe church. A spokesman for the Tri-City Baptist Church says they were part of a 30-member group that went on a planned 3-day canyon hiking trip on Wednesday. Grand Canyon National Park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge says the missing include 16- and 22-year-old brothers and a 15-year-old boy.


Thu. - April 30- 7 PM
During today's search efforts, the National Park Service and the Department of Public Safety conducted extensive air operations from Pipe Creek to Crystal Rapid, a distance of approximately ten river miles. In addition, a NPS zodiac was flown in and used by rescue rangers to search the area from Boat Beach to Horn Creek. Search operations have been scaled back for the night in order to ensure searcher and craft safety.

As part of today's efforts, NPS investigators interviewed a group that was hiking with the missing individuals prior to the incident. Following the interviews, those individuals were flown to the South Rim by the NPS late this afternoon.

Zodiac search operations will continue tomorrow with an extensive search from Boat Beach to Hermit Rapid (river mile 95). A search dog and its handler will also be inserted on Friday early morning, when conditions are most effective for the dog. The dog team will search from Boat Beach to Silver Bridge then across the river and downriver towards Pipe Creek. A ranger will also be conducting a visual search on the River Trail above.

[JimmyLyding]

Just read the news that they found one of the bodies.

[azbackpackr]

Oh, very sad. I wonder what they could have been thinking? Just wanting to cool off after their hike? Anyone see if there have been any interviews, etc?

[Vaporman]

One the news last night, they mentioned the boys were trying to swim across the river. Can anyone else confirm that from another source? That just sounds too crazy to be true...

[big_load]

One the news last night, they mentioned the boys were trying to swim across the river.

A bunch of people die every year trying to swim the Delaware. It's pretty similar: not especially wide in most spots, but very fast-moving. Their biggest mistake is trying to hit a spot on the opposite shore instead of somewhere far enough downstream. Even then, there's a fair chance of hitting an eddy too strong to swim out of if you can't pick the right direction.

I'm sorry to hear how this turned out. Nature's lessons can be awfully harsh.

[sirena]

I was on the Tonto East trail on Thursday. I could see the helicopter heading out and back and one time it was carrying a sling below it. I remember thinking "this can't be good", and when I came out at Grandview yesterday, I heard what happened. It's so sad. Unfortunately, people often underestimate the extreme environment of the Grand Canyon. My heart goes out to the families of the boys.

[hikeaz]

The three were in a larger group which planned on hiking from the South Rim to the river and back to the Rim in a day. The group was hiking down the South Kaibab trail, and on approaching the tunnel at the Black (upstream) Bridge, four young men diverted from the trail down to the river, on the south side (not the boat beach as originally reported), apparently intending to swim across the river. One turned back after briefly entering the water. The other three attempted to swim across and were swept downstream. They were last seen alive in the turbulent river water along the south bank by the Silver (downstream) Bridge.

The body of one of the victims was recovered at mid-day in an eddy on river right below Phantom Ranch by Grand Canyon National Park rescue personnel. A commercial river trip conducting a passenger exchange at Phantom Ranch assisted in the search, along with National Park Service helicopter crews and river rangers using a sport boat. NPS is continuing the search, concentrating on the section from Boat Beach to Hermit Rapid (river mile 95) but the other two young men are presumed to have drowned.

The last time such an event occurred was in 1995 when two males drowned attempting to swim across the river in two separate incidents. Their bodies were recovered within the following three weeks, six and twenty miles downstream of Phantom Ranch, respectively.

[JimmyLyding]

I rafted down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon in 2004 and 2007, and it doesn't take very long to figure out that the river is not something to mess around with. The stretch through the inner gorge goes extremely fast, and we were told that it averages over 100-feet-deep. I'll remember these 3 souls the next time I raft the river.

[Grasshopper]

This is a recent post from the Phx ABC-Chnl 15 website of an "eye-witness" account:

"My husband and I and two other couples witnessed the three boys jumping into the Colorado River. We were in the Grand Canyon and were going for a hike on Thursday. We were on the opposite side of the river talking to the guides for the rafts. We all looked over when the boys went into the river and they shouted triumphantly. Then they yelled "Help" as the river current took them. Three of us ran along the shore on the opposite side hoping we could help in any way. The rafting guides called the rangers. We were sickened and shocked and felt completely helpless as the three disappeared. We returned to the trail and crossed the Black Bridge. We scanned the river as we climbed. We saw the ranger and raft guide leave in the raft to help the boys. We continued to hike on the trail following the river. Soon we saw the helicopter searching the river up and down. We saw no signs of the three boys. Our hearts go out to the families, their friends, and fellow campers. The place they chose to swim across was very narrow and the current was very swift. There are signs posted warning of the danger of the river. To all of us who witnessed this there is a feeling of senseless tragedy."

[big_load]

That's typical of what appears in our local papers half a dozen times every year. It's a shame that before jumping in, folks don't reflect on these stories and take note of their depressing similarity and the mutual resemblance of so many victims.

[azdesertfather]

Still holding out hope and praying that the other two will be found!!

A little more info on the boys from the AP:

May. 2, 2009 10:41 AM
Associated Press

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK - Grand Canyon National Park officials have identified the body found during a search for three young people who were swept away by the Colorado River on Thursday.

The body of 16-year-old Mark Merrill of Sanders, Ariz. was found on Friday about a mile down river from where he, his 22-year-old brother and a 16-year-old Phoenix-area boy jumped into the river.

Search crews on Saturday were continuing efforts to locate Joey Merrill and Saif Savaya.

The three were among 30 people on a three-day Grand Canyon hiking trip organized by Tri-City Baptist Church in Tempe.

A church spokesman says Joey Merrill was a student at its International Baptist College. His younger brother and Savaya were on the yearly trip as part of the college's outreach and recruitment program.

[nonot]

The 22 year old especially should have known it wasn't a good idea and at 16 there isn't much excuse for idiocy either, two steps into the river and one look at the current would settle it for most people. At least 1 of the 4 had common sense.

[azbackpackr]

That's typical of what appears in our local papers half a dozen times every year. It's a shame that before jumping in, folks don't reflect on these stories and take note of their depressing similarity and the mutual resemblance of so many victims.

First of all, most people don't read the papers.

Part of the responsibility here lies with the trip's adult leaders, who not only should read the papers, but also read the information the Park Service gives out to backpackers. Having been a Boy Scout leader in the 90's and having taken the troop backpacking in the Grand Canyon a few times, I can tell you we made every effort before the trip to drum it into their thick little heads that the most dangerous thing in the Canyon is the river. When dropping off their boys for these hikes, parents were often heard to give their sons parting words: "Stay away from the cliffs!" To which I would always say, "Tell them to PROMISE you to stay out of the river!" Our Scoutmaster always told the boys over and over, "If you go into the river you're dead." Of course, there are bays and calm areas along its banks where you can rinse your feet or filter your water, but we wanted the boys to be aware of the danger.

I suspect these leaders didn't do this danger drill as strongly as we did, if at all. I still shudder thinking how easy it would have been for one of our boys to just simply fall in while horseplaying, particularly at Hermit Rapids, where we sat on the rocks to watch the boats go by. But I don't think any of them would have tried to swim, not after our numerous warnings.