Indian-American woman swept away by floods found dead

New York: The Indian-American woman who had been swept away by a flash flood at a national park has been found dead after four days of searches, according to park spokesperson Jonathan Shafer.

Jetal Agnihotri’s body was found late Monday in the Virgin River in the Zion National Park ending a search by 170 people, he said.

Confirming her death, her brother told CBS network affiliate station KUTV, “She is gone”.

“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the friends and family of Jetal Agnihotri”, Park superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh said.

The 29-year-old PhD student at the University of Arizona studying hydrology and atmospheric sciences went missing on Friday when she was hiking with a group at the park in Utah State and the flash flood engulfed them.

Park rangers rescued the injured and stranded hikers except for Agnihotri who had separated from the group and when she was reported missing later on Friday, park officials started the search, Shafer said.

Her body was found nearly ten miles from where she was last known to have been.

Personnel from the several National Parks Service and Forest Service locations, firefighters, local sheriffs’ officers and a search dog team joined the search.