A rain-soaked earthen dam near the Grand Canyon broke yesterday, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of residents from a flooded village in an Indian reservation, a US National Park Service spokeswoman has said.
Five helicopters from the Arizona National Guard and the state public safety department ferried some evacuees, including campers, to higher ground after floodwaters cascaded into the remote Native American town of Supai at the bottom of a canyon, spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge said.
As of last night, 75 people had been airlifted to safety and another 350 were waiting to be flown out as darkness approached, Ms Oltrogge said.
No injuries were reported.
Supai is home to about 400 members of the Havasupai tribe, and is located about 120 kilometres west of the Grand Canyon Village, which is on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The town is accessible only by horse or foot along a 12-kilometre trail or by helicopter.
The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular US tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 5 million visitors a year.
Reuters