Grand Canyon National Park rangers were searching Wednesday for a missing 72-year-old hiker/NPS

Searchers were down in the Inner Gorge of Grand Canyon National Park on Wednesday looking for a 72-year-old hiker who failed to show up at Phantom Ranch as planned.

On Tuesday, at approximately 7:45 p.m., the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a call reporting an overdue hiker. The hiker, Raafat (Ralph) Amin Nasser-Eddin of Los Angeles, California, and Lebanon, matches the description of an individual reported to park rangers on Sunday. On Sunday morning, rangers received a report of a disoriented hiker at Hermit Camp. A member of Grand Canyon’s search and rescue team hiked the Hermit Trail to the Colorado River on Sunday and Monday, but was unable to locate the individual.

Nasser-Eddin is described as 6-foot tall and 170 pounds, with gray hair and green eyes. He was last seen carrying a reusable shopping bag, a gallon jug of water, and wearing a black-and-white ball cap, a green plaid shirt, and khaki shorts. 

Wednesday's operations included a hasty search of four ground teams of two people each, and aerial searches with the park helicopter. Search efforts were to focus on the Hermit, Tonto, and Boucher trails.

Anyone with information on the location of Raafat (Ralph) Nasser-Eddin should call the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch Tipline at 888-653-0009, text 202-379-4761, or email [email protected].