Grand Canyon Flash Flood Leaves One Dead, around 15 Missing

This handout image released by the Grand Canyon National Park Service via X on August 30, 2026 shows remnants of stone bridge pylons along Bright Angel Creek following a flash flood that destroyed the footbridge on August 29. (AFP/ National Park Service)

08:43-31 August 2026 AD ـ 18 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

At least one person was killed and around 15 others are missing after a flash flood at the Grand Canyon, one of the most popular tourist sites in the United States, the National Park Service said in a statement Sunday.

The floods hit the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area on Saturday, forcing dozens of people to evacuate and damaging the sole water pipeline serving the park.

The body of a 46-year-old man was recovered on Sunday evening near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River in northern Arizona, the park service said.

Video footage taken by hikers showed a torrent of muddy water rushing by trails and under footbridges as well as logs and other debris floating down swollen rivers, accompanied by a rumbling roar.

The park service said it was working with Arizona authorities to evacuate people and account for missing individuals.

As of Sunday morning, 62 people had been evacuated, with others scheduled for later, it said.

It said around 15 people were thought to be missing, revising an earlier figure of more than 20.

- Water pipeline damaged -

The flooding damaged the Transcanyon Waterline, a key water pipeline into Grand Canyon National Park, the park service said, announcing water restrictions in its most visited area and a ban on wood and charcoal fires.

The twelve-and-a-half mile (20 kilometers) pipeline runs from the Roaring Springs source on the North Rim to the South Rim, providing drinking water and fire suppression, according to the park's website.

The flooding also resulted in "significant impacts to infrastructure," destroying footbridges and blocking hikers from crossing Bright Angel Creek, the park service said.

Overnight accommodations were to be closed from Monday, it added.

"These measures are crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainability of water resources," the park service said.

The flash flood, which began about 2:30 pm (2130 GMT) on Saturday, was caused by rain on the Kaibab Plateau, it said.

More thunderstorms and heavy rainfall were possible through Monday, possibly leading to "additional flash flooding, debris flows, rockfall and changing trail and river conditions," the park service warned.

Flash floods are common in Northern Arizona because the arid, sparsely vegetated environments found in the area have little capacity to absorb rain, the park's website said, urging visitors to be especially cautious from July to mid-September.

The Grand Canyon -- considered one of the greatest wonders of the natural world -- is the result of the Colorado River eating away at layers of red sandstone and other rock for millions of years, leaving a chasm up to 18 miles wide and more than a mile deep.

Last year almost five million people visited the site.

Leaders of China, Russia and India are Among Heads of State Meeting to Counter US Influence

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, gestures while speaking to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Sept. 16, 2022. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

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09:44-31 August 2026 AD ـ 18 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

09:44-31 August 2026 AD ـ 18 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Leaders of China, Russia and India are Among Heads of State Meeting to Counter US Influence

The leaders of China, Russia and India are among the heads of state gathering in Kyrgyzstan this week for the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a group billed as a counterweight to US global influence.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are scheduled to attend the events in Bishkek, the capital of the Central Asian nation, The Associated Press said.

Multiple one-on-one meetings are scheduled on the sidelines, including one between Putin and Xi on Monday, as well as talks between the Russian leader and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, the day of the official SCO sessions.

Russia, now 4½ years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Iran, six months into a war with the United States and Israel, see the summit as an important platform to strengthen their relations with non-Western partners.

The SCO was founded in 2001 by China, Russia and four Central Asian states as a security forum. Over the past quarter-century, it has grown in size and influence, although its goals and programs remain vague and its brand recognition low.

It now includes 10 nations: Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Many other countries have the status of “dialogue partners."

Along with Russia, China has presented the SCO as an alternative to Western-aligned organizations like the G7, and in recent years has wanted to expand the scope and influence of the organization, pledging development and financial assistance.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last week that the organization has successfully “explored a new path for regional cooperation.” Beijing has consistently promoted the idea of an alternative world order with Russia’s support.

Summit attendees have significant disagreements

For many SCO members, the summit will be an opportunity to show that they maintain strong ties on the global stage despite souring relations with the West.

The organization is not a unified political or military bloc, however, and analysts note that its members have significant disagreements and their own distinct interests.

For countries such as India, however, experts say the summit is likely to be more about optics and strategic signaling than substantive outcomes.

The forum is heavily influenced by China and includes Pakistan as a member — both of which are rivals for India.

Dinakar Peri, a fellow in security studies at Carnegie India, said the SCO gives India a seat at the table in a region increasingly shaped by competition among the larger powers, allowing it to protect its interests, track shifting geopolitical currents and project itself as a reliable stakeholder.

“While it may not entirely shape the agenda, it gives New Delhi a first-hand view of the region and allows it to hedge its position with others,” Peri said.

Türkiye, which holds partner status within the SCO, also seeks to use the platform to strengthen its position in the region.

It views SCO membership as part of a balanced foreign policy that seeks to maintain its traditional ties with the West as a part of NATO, while strengthening its influence in Eurasia.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who brought his country into the SCO as a “dialogue partner” in 2012, has repeatedly stated that he wants Türkiye to become a permanent member. While Türkiye has close trade ties with the European Union under a 1995 trade deal, its EU membership bid has stalled for more than 25 years.

World

NATO’s Arctic Moves Pose ‘Direct Threat’ to Russia, Says Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Moscow, Russia, 25 August 2026. (EPA)

09:21-31 August 2026 AD ـ 18 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

NATO’s Arctic Moves Pose ‘Direct Threat’ to Russia, Says Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a press conference in Moscow, Russia, 25 August 2026. (EPA)

Russia sees ‌NATO activity in the Arctic as a direct security threat, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an article published on Monday, as the alliance members boost their presence in the region in the wake of Russia's war on Ukraine.

In February, NATO launched a mission called Arctic Sentry to bolster its presence in the far north, underscoring the alliance's increased focus on the Arctic amid ‌tensions with Russia ‌and US President Donald Trump's ‌push ⁠for the acquisition of ⁠Greenland.

Russia, which has a naval fleet including nuclear-armed submarines in the Arctic, sees the region as its sphere of interest where it also develops a shipping route to connect with the Asian nations.

Moscow has earlier protested the Arctic Sentry mission ⁠and in the article, Lavrov, President ‌Vladimir Putin's long standing foreign ‌minister, said Russia sees NATO military exercises in the ‌region as "aggressive".

"Such military activity in the Far ‌North poses direct threats to Russia's security. The risks of incidents that could trigger an armed confrontation, with potentially catastrophic consequences, are increasing," he said in the ‌article published by the Russian foreign ministry.

Russia has the largest military presence and ⁠the ⁠most extensive military infrastructure in the Arctic and in recent years China has started to increase its activity in the mineral-rich area, mostly in partnership with Moscow.

Norway, a Russia's neighbor, this month expanded a recently created military brigade headquartered in the Arctic, the latest move by a NATO nation to boost its defense footprint in the wake of the Ukraine war which Russia started in 2022.

Moscow has previously dismissed allegations that it poses a threat to NATO.

World

Nearly 20 Still Missing After North Cyprus Ferry Capsize Kills Eight

A helicopter rescues a passenger off a ferry that capsized off the coast of Northern Cyprus, August 30, 2026. (Reuters)

08:57-31 August 2026 AD ـ 18 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Nearly 20 Still Missing After North Cyprus Ferry Capsize Kills Eight

A helicopter rescues a passenger off a ferry that capsized off the coast of Northern Cyprus, August 30, 2026. (Reuters)

Nearly 20 ‌people were missing on Monday after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus, killing at least eight, as divers joined search teams scouring deep waters for any survivors.

The double-hulled ferry with 267 aboard took in water and flipped over on Sunday just off the port city of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the overturned hull. They were rescued by passing vessels ‌and the coastguard ‌authorities.

"We've been waiting since the ‌morning, ⁠for 12 hours ⁠or maybe more," said Naif Ezer, one of those waiting anxiously outside the port for news of passengers through the early hours of Monday.

Of three friends traveling home to see families, one had been found but the ⁠other two were still missing, ‌he added.

Some of those ‌waiting sat and silently wept, while others scrolled ‌mobile phones for updates.

It was unclear if ‌people remained trapped on the vessel, now lying on the seabed at a depth of more than 500 m (1,640 ft).

Divers from Türkiye were assisting ‌the search, officials said. They gave differing estimates of the missing, with ⁠some saying ⁠19, and others 18.

The ferry ran into trouble shortly after leaving Kyrenia for the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province, one of several daily sea shuttle links with Türkiye.

Separate accounts said the wide-bodied vessel jolted violently before slamming onto the sea surface, with part of its bow bursting open on impact.

Authorities have detained the captain and crew of the vessel for questioning.

Grand Canyon Flash Flood Leaves One Dead, around 15 Missing

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