3 Friends Went Hiking in the Grand Canyon. 1 Died and 2 Are Still Missing After Flash Floods.

A Texas man died and two of his friends went missing after flash floods hit the Grand Canyon over the weekend. The three men had gone on a hiking trip together on Friday. Their families shared the news in a statement on Monday, asking people to pray for the missing men and all those affected by the disaster.

The man who died was Dr. John Giusti, a 46-year-old chiropractor from Granbury, Texas. His family described him as a devoted father of three daughters. His wife, Janet Giusti, said, 'To his daughters, he was their ultimate hero. To me, he was my whole world.'

The two missing men are Brent Rosenkranz and Timothy Allen Smith. Rosenkranz is a husband and father of three sons who spent much of his life teaching martial arts to young people. Smith is also a husband and father of three who loves the outdoors, hiking, and camping with his family.

The three men entered the Grand Canyon on Friday and hiked to Bright Angel Campground. They planned to spend two nights exploring trails near the bottom of the canyon. They also wanted to go fishing and visit a popular stop called Havasupai Gardens before finishing their hike.

Heavy rain caused flash flooding in the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch areas of Grand Canyon National Park. In just two days, the canyon received almost half a year's worth of rain. Dozens of people had to be rescued as a result.

Rescue teams worked through the weekend, but more heavy rain on Monday made things much harder. The Arizona Department of Public Safety rescued 61 people over the weekend using helicopters. But on Monday, the rain kept helicopters from flying all day.

Officials said two big problems were making it hard to find the missing people. There is very little cellphone service inside the canyon, and many of the missing are believed to be foreign tourists, making communication difficult. The remote terrain made rescues even harder, since there are no roads inside the park and the only ways to travel are by foot, mule, or helicopter.

Some hikers had very close calls as creeks rose and muddy debris flooded the rivers. Erica Viola and her boyfriend were ordered by rangers to run for their lives. 'I knew if I didn't run, we weren't going to make it,' Viola told CBS News. Just ten minutes after they reached safety, the footbridge they had crossed was completely washed away.

The flooding destroyed many footbridges inside the park, and the National Park Service said nearly all footbridges crossing Bright Angel Creek were wiped out. Viola and her boyfriend were later airlifted to safety by helicopter. Another hiker, Steve Kramer, made it out on foot but faced falling rocks along the way.

The families of the missing men thanked search-and-rescue teams for their hard work. They asked the public to keep praying for Brent and Tim, for the searchers looking for them, and for all families touched by the tragedy. Rescuers said they would continue their efforts as soon as the weather allowed.