Body of Female Hiker Swept By Flash Floods in Utah Finally Found

A female hiker's body is discovered after flash floods destroy a Utah park. Despite flood warnings being issued for southern Utah on Friday, according to a friend, Jetal Agnihotri wanted to explore the lovely Narrows gorge.

(Photo : Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Swept By the Flood

After a four-day search, authorities said Tuesday that the corpse of an Arizona hiker who went missing after being caught in flash floods in Utah's Zion National Park had been found in a river several miles downstream.

According to Zion National Park spokesman Jonathan Shafer, Jetal Agnihotri, 29, of Tucson, was among a sizable group of hikers making its way through The Narrows, a collection of picturesque slot canyons in southwest Utah, when sudden, torrential rain struck Friday afternoon and swiftly engulfed the Virgin River that runs through the area. The swift torrents carried Agnihotri and other trekkers off their feet.

That evening, when Agnihotri failed to return and meet the others in the visitor center parking lot as they had all agreed, her pals called for assistance, according to Shafer.

Emergency Response

According to park officials, over 170 emergency personnel rapidly assembled a search-and-rescue effort that combed locations inside and beyond the park for the following four days. This operation included swift water rescue teams and search dogs.

According to park officials, Searchers discovered Agnihotri's body on Monday in the Virgin River close to the Court of the Patriarchs, some 6 river miles south of The Narrows. Tuesday saw the announcement of her passing following the medical examiner's office's confirmation.

Shot on Cam

Pujan Agnihotri, Agnihotri's brother, informed KSL-TV in their community that his sister could not swim.

He thinks that while the search team was still hunting for his sister, a video shot by someone in the park appears to show her trapped in the flooded river:

Mostafa Javadian, who was with Agnihotri when she vanished, told KSL-TV that Agnihotri wanted to stay and investigate The Narrows. At the same time, he and another companion had fled the region after learning about the forecast for rapid floods.

Javadian stated, "I wish I had asked her not to leave.

Initial Investigation

The cause of death is being investigated, according to the medical examiner, rangers, and Washington County Sheriff's Office.

Superintendent of Zion National Park Jeff Bradybaugh expressed his sincere condolences to her friends and family.

Washington County, Utah, and the National Weather Service issued flood warnings for the park region on Friday.

Intense Flooding

The Virgin River was flowing at about 50 cubic feet per second when the search-and-rescue team called it a day. Still, Shafer said search teams closely monitored weather conditions because "several seasonal-monsoon rains increased flow in the Virgin River to a peak of more than 1,100 cubic feet per second." When the river flows faster than 70 cubic feet per second, it might be difficult to hike through the Narrows; normally, the parking area is closed when the river flows faster than 150 cubic feet per second.

Many other hikers who attempted The Narrows on Friday encountered danger due to the persistent rain.

Near the Temple of Sinawava area, park officials had earlier discovered an injured hiker who had been swept several hundred yards downstream. The hiker was taken to a hospital in an ambulance by the National Park Service due to non-life-threatening injuries.

Further up the hiking trail, several hikers were discovered stranded by the high floodwaters; rangers instructed them to remain there until the water subsided before helping them to safety.

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