Yellowstone flooding forces 10,000 to leave national park

The Yellowstone River hit historic levels after days of rain and rapid snowmelt wrought havoc across parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming

A washed out bridge from flooding at Rescue Creek in Yellowstone National Park, Montana (National Park Service/AP)

More than 10,000 visitors were ordered out of Yellowstone as unprecedented flooding tore through the northern half of the nation’s oldest national park – washing out bridges and roads and sweeping an employee bunkhouse miles downstream, officials said.

The only visitors left in the massive park straddling three states were a dozen campers still making their way out of the backcountry. No injuries have been reported.