“Our deepest condolences go out to Jetal Agnihotri’s friends and family,” said Zion National Park Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh. Agnihotri was reported missing on Friday evening after she did not return from a trip to the Straits. That day, torrential rains caused flash flooding in the Narrows area, where there were reports of rushing water that swept many hikers off their feet near the Temple of Sinawava, according to the park service. After several rescues, park officials said they believed all of the missing hikers had been found and accounted for by Friday afternoon — including one person who was swept downstream several hundred yards. Later that evening, Agnihotri was reported missing. It was found days later about 6 river miles south of the Narrows, according to park officials. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said investigators are working with the Zion Park Rangers and a medical examiner to determine the cause of death. More than 170 responders from multiple agencies crisscrossed the park in a four-day search and rescue operation for Agnihotri, with swift-water rescuers and search dogs working along the edge of the Virgin River, inside and outside the park. During the survey, “several monsoonal rainfall events increased flow in the Virgin River to a peak of over 1,100 cubic feet per second,” the park service said. “The river was flowing at about 50 cubic feet per second when the Zion Search and Rescue Team finished their search.”
