Indian American hiker found dead days after she was swept away in a flash flood in Utah
An Indian American hiker who went missing during a flash flood at Zion National Park in Utah last week was found dead.
The body of Jetal Agnihotri, a 29-year-old woman from Tucson, Arizona, was recovered in the Virgin River near the Court of the Patriarchs at the park on Tuesday, according to Zion National Park Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh.
Agnihotri was a graduate student at the University of Arizona. She was reportedly spending the last few days of her summer break with a group of hikers when they were swept downstream by floodwaters in the Narrows area of the park on Aug. 19.
The National Weather Service and Washington county had reportedly issued flood warnings that day. The floodwaters had increased the amount flowing through the Virgin River by up to 8,229 gallons when Agnihotri was swept away, according to The National Park Service.
More than 170 emergency responders embarked on a search mission. Park rangers were able to locate all of the hikers except for Agnihotri, who reportedly did not know how to swim, according to her brother.
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the friends and family of Jetal Agnihotri,” Bradybaugh wrote in a statement.
Zion National Park, which is a popular recreation area in the U.S., is frequently hazardous due to flash floods. The flooding routinely traps hikers in the park’s hundreds of feet deep slot canyons despite warnings.
Featured Image via The Weather Channel
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