Hundreds Evacuated After Dam Breaks

PHOENIX (AP) - Hundreds of people have been carried to safety on helicopters after an earthen dam failed today at the Grand Canyon.

The breach after days of heavy rain caused some flooding in the village of Supai (SOO'-peye) on the canyon floor. It's home to about 400 members of the Havasupai (ha-vuh-SOO'-peye) Indian tribe.

No injuries are reported. And no buildings were damaged when the dam broke about 45 miles upriver from the village. But some hiking trails and footbridges were washed out.

As much as eight inches of rain has fallen on the area since Friday.

Evacuees were airlifted to a parking area at the canyon and then taken by bus to a Red Cross shelter in Peach Springs, Arizona.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.