Indian-American hiker swept away by flood found dead: Report

NEW YORK: A 29-year-old Indian-American female hiker, who got swept away in a flash flood last week at the Zion National Park in the US state of Utah, has been found dead, according to a senior official from the park.

Jetal Agnihotri of Tucson, Arizona, went missing on August 19 when flash floods swept multiple hikers off their feet, forcing park rangers and officials to launch rescue operations, the CBS News reported on Tuesday.

Agnihotri's body was found on Tuesday in the Zion national park's Virgin River after a thorough rescue operation by the rangers, park superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said in a statement. "Our deepest sympathy goes out to the friends and family of Jetal Agnihotri," the statement said.

Zion National Park is among the United States' most visited recreation areas even though it frequently becomes hazardous and is put under flood warnings by the National Weather Service, the report said.

Floods can create danger for experienced hikers and climbers as well as the many novices who have flocked to the park since the pandemic bolstered an outdoor recreation boom.

Despite warnings, flash flooding routinely traps people in the park's slot canyons, which are as narrow as windows in some spots and hundreds of feet deep, the report said.