Flash flooding caused by torrential rain in Missouri has killed at least five people, including two poll workers, a married couple who died when their vehicles were swept away in the southern part of the state. Up to 8 inches of rain fell over two days in parts of Missouri, leading to widespread flooding and dozens of water rescues, the reports. It was part of a storm system that also spawned tornadoes in Oklahoma and Arkansas.
In Wright County, Missouri, a county of about 19,000 residents 210 miles southeast of Kansas City, vehicles driven by a 70-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman were swept away by flooding at Beaver Creek around 4:30am Tuesday, the state patrol said. The bodies were found more than four hours later. They had tried to swim to dry land, but didn't make it, reports.
Wright County Clerk Loni Pedersen confirmed that both of the people who died were poll workers. Three people in two other cars swept away by the fast-rising creek were able to swim to safety, the patrol said. The National Weather Service said four likely tornadoes, and possibly more, touched down in parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas on Monday.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries from the tornadoes..
