Utah hikers warned by forest ranger about flash flood danger hours before their deaths

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The seven victims were visiting the Zion National Park in Utah on Monday
They were warned in advance of a 40 percent chance of flash flooding
Park Rangers told the victims that they should not visit the park that day
The park was closed later that day when the weather situation worsened
The bodies of all the victims have now been recovered

Published: 20:52 EST, 17 September 2015 | Updated: 14:41 EST, 18 September 2015

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These are the seven hikers as they posed for a photo in Utah's Zion National Park just hours before they were killed by flash floods on Monday.

Search teams have now recovered all the bodies of the missing hikers who were washed away soon after they secured a permit to explore the canyon despite forecasts of probable flash flooding, park officials said.

Late Thursday night, the park named those who had died as Californians Mark MacKenzie, 56, of Valencia; Linda Arthur, 57, and Steve Arthur, 58, both of Camarillo; Gary Favela, 51, of Rancho Cucamonga; Muku Reynolds, 59, of Chino; and Robin Brum, 53, of Camarillo. The seventh flooding victim was Don Teichner, 55, of Mesquite, Nevada.

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The seven people killed in the canyon tragedy, pictured, were warned in advance about the flash flood danger. From left to right are Gary Favela, Don Teichner, Muku Reynolds, Steve Arthur, Linda Arthur, Robin Brum, and Mark MacKenzie, pictured here on Monday shortly before their tragic deaths

Muku Reynolds was among the ill-fated group who obtained a park permit to venture into the area despite forecasts of probable flash flooding

Victims: Linda and Steve Arthur are pictured during a hike. This week's deaths marked the greatest loss of life in Zion's history

The seven canyoneers were swept to their deaths late Monday afternoon during flooding that killed 12 people and left two others missing elsewhere in southern Utah, most of them in the town of Hilldale on the Arizona border.

Park officials said Linda Arthur's body was the last to be found on Thursday.

She was discovered a few miles from the sandstone gorge where the group got trapped during a violent rainstorm, in an area that had been unreachable previously amid fears of more flooding.

The rest of the victims were found earlier this week.

The discovery capped three days of searches by more than 60 park rangers, sheriff's deputies and emergency personnel from several agencies.

Park officials said all the victims were hiking together on a day trip through narrow Keyhole Canyon, a challenging route on the east side of Zion that requires canyoneers to swim through several pools of water and rappel steep slopes.

Linda Arthur is pictured here hiking in the snow. Authorities said that many of the group who died were experienced hikers

The leader of the group had experience exploring that canyon and others, said Cindy Purcell, Zion's chief park ranger.

The group obtained its permit for the trip at 7.30am Monday, even though they were advised the National Weather Service had forecast a 40 percent chance of rain and the probability of flash flooding in the park, Purcell said.

'The ranger who handed that permit to that man said, 'I would not go today'.

'However, the people who go make the choice, they sign the paper that says that it is their safety and their responsibility.'

Purcell said park rangers would only decline to issue a permit in the event that an official flash flood warning was posted.

The National Weather Service did issue such an advisory that day but only after the seven canyoneers had already set out on their venture, she said.

The seven hikers were clambering through a popular canyon when a deluge seen only once a century unleashed a wall of churning water.

The flooding likely rushed over their heads in moments and carried them miles downstream, park spokesman David Eaker said.

'It would be just like a drain, it just funnels down in there very quickly, very fast,' he said.

Linda Arthur is pictured in a Facebook photo. Her body was the final one to be found by rescuers on Thursday

Officials believe the group entered Keyhole Canyon late Monday afternoon, after some of those new to canyoneering took a course, he said.

The route is considered entry level, according to canyoneering experts. Only 80 people a day can visit Keyhole Canyon.

Keyhole Canyon permits were issued that day to two other groups, Purcell said. One canceled and the other, a group of three, started before the seven-member team but passed them and made it out safely, she said.

Don Teichner, 55, of Mesquite, Nevade, was also among the dead. He is pictured here in a Facebook photo

Nearly an inch of rain fell on Zion in less than an hour on Monday, swelling the North Fork of the Virgin River, which Keyhole Canyon drains into through two tributary creeks, from 55 to 2,600 cubic feet of water per second.

Flash-flood fatalities are rare in Zion, which is visited by more than 3million people a year.

This week's deaths marked the greatest loss of life in Zion's history, surpassing a 1963 tragedy in which five people were killed by flash flooding in the Virgin River Narrows, Purcell said.

Since then, floodwaters have killed six others in the park, most recently a man drowned in 2014, she said.

Fatal flash floods: Steve Arthur pictured left and Don Teichner pictured right were among the seven people killed in the tragedy

The park is investigating what led to the deaths and reviewing its policies, but the process for canyon entry permits is decided at the national level and any changes would likely need to come from the top down, Eaker said.

'Our heartfelt sympathies go out to those affected by the flash flooding in Keyhole Canyon,' Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said Thursday night.

'The canyoneers along with their families and friends are in our thoughts.'

Victim Muku Reynolds is pictured above. The park is investigating what led to the deaths and reviewing its policies

The flash flooding also killed at least 12 other people, including nine children, in a nearby polygamous town on the Utah-Arizona border.

Raging waters swept two cars downstream, leaving a six-year-old boy still missing. Three other children survived.

Authorities in Mohave County, Arizona, said Thursday they were searching for a 33-year-old man from the area who has been missing since the flash floods hit Monday.

Ryan Mertlich's car was discovered heavily damaged in a flood plain about 15 miles west of Colorado City.

Mertlich's family reported him missing Tuesday, saying he typically drives the back roads in the area, said Mohave County sheriff's spokeswoman Trish Carter.

Muku Reynolds, 59, of Chino, was among the dead. The flash flooding also killed at least 12 other people, including nine children, in a nearby polygamous town on the Utah-Arizona border

Rangers closed the park's canyons after the storm hit, but there was no way to warn those already inside the majestic slot formations, which can quickly fill with rain water and leave people with no escape.

Aside from one spot near the entrance of Keyhole Canyon, 'there really is no high ground. You're in a slot pretty much the whole way', Eaker said.

Exploring slot canyons found in the desert Southwest can require a combination of hiking, climbing, swimming and caving. Canyoneering has grown in popularity in recent years, attracting people who enjoy the challenge and the beauty of the canyons.

Even a small amount of rain can turn a trip deadly as the moisture runs off the desert landscape and fills the canyon with water, branches, rocks and debris.