Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Three Women Rescued After Five Hours on Grand Canyon Ledge
Three women were hiking in the Grand Canyon when a sudden flood arrived.
Heavy rain turned the canyon into a dangerous river filled with mud, rocks and branches.
The women climbed onto a small rock ledge to stay safe.
They held on there for about five hours.
For a short time, they could not see one another and feared someone had been carried away.
They eventually saw each other again.
A helicopter found them and carried them to safety.
The same flood killed two people and damaged parts of the park.
Jessica Buscher, Melanie McGuirk and Katie Brink survived a Grand Canyon flash flood by clinging to a rock ledge for about five hours.
The flood struck around 2:30 p.m. on August 29 after intense rainfall and a strengthening monsoon storm.
The women temporarily lost sight of one another and feared they had been swept away.
A rescue helicopter eventually spotted and airlifted the women to safety.
The broader disaster killed two people, damaged trails and footbridges, and damaged the Transcanyon Waterline.
- Who
- Sisters Jessica Buscher and Melanie McGuirk and their friend Katie Brink, along with rescue crews.
- What
- The three women survived a flash flood by clinging to a rock ledge for about five hours before being rescued by helicopter.
- When
- The flood struck around 2:30 p.m. on August 29, 2026; the women’s rescue was reported on September 5, 2026.
- Where
- The Grand Canyon in Arizona, including the Bright Angel Creek area.
- Why
- Intense rainfall during a monsoon storm sent fast-moving water, mud, rocks and debris through the canyon.
- Survivors
- Jessica Buscher, Melanie McGuirk and Katie Brink
- Time on ledge
- About five hours
- Flood date
- August 29, 2026
- Rescue operation
- Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Ranger 3 helicopter completed 13 flights and transported 61 hikers to safety
- Overall evacuations
- More than 80 people were eventually airlifted from the canyon, according to the Associated Press
- Deaths
- Two people died in the disaster
- Infrastructure damage
- Footbridges and trails were damaged, and the Transcanyon Waterline was damaged