The family of a hiker who was found dead after getting caught in flooding at Utah’s Zion National Park have shared heartbreak at her final moments.
Jetal Agnihotri, 29, was discovered in the Virgin River on Monday, six miles from where she was swept away three days earlier, and later pronounced dead by a medical examiner, park officials said.
Her family believe that haunting video captured her fighting against a strong current when flooding struck the park on Friday.
The video, obtained by KUTV, shows a man being dragged downstream near another person purported to be Agnihorti.
“We believe it’s her,” Agnihotri’s brother said of the footage.
“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the friends and family of Jetal Agnihotri,” Zion National Park superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said in a statement.
Agnihotri, of Tucson, Arizona, was hiking with a group of friends in a slot canyon called The Narrows when they were swept away by floodwaters.
The rest of the group managed to climb ashore, but Agnihotri disappeared sparking a search mission that included 170 emergency responders, swift water rescuers, and search dogs.
Her brother has told television station KSL-TV that his sister did not know how to swim.
The National Weather Service and Washington County, Utah, had issued flood warnings for the area of the national park that day.
She is the latest victim of dangerous flooding that can take place in the narrow slot canyons during the state’s monsoon season.
In September 2015, seven people drowned in a similar storm in the park and another 12 people died in a nearby town.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
