Authorities are searching for two young children after flash flooding in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, killed their mother and at least four other people on Saturday.
A barrage of rain Saturday afternoon inundated the town of Washington Crossing in Upper Makefield Township, where 11 vehicles were nearly engulfed by floodwaters, Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer said Sunday.
Up to 7 inches of rain hit the area, along the Delaware River, in less than an hour, he said.
Ten people were rescued from or near abandoned vehicles near an adjacent creek along Washington County Road, Brewer said at a news conference Sunday.
The death toll from the storm rose to five, with the latest confirmed victim described as a mother from Charleston, South Carolina, visiting Pennsylvania, Brewer said.
She was in a vehicle with her 4-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter and 9-month-old son, a man described as her father and a woman described as her grandmother, as it became stranded in rising water. saying.
The father grabbed the 4-year-old son and pulled himself to safety, Brewer said. The mother and grandmother grabbed the 9-month-old and the 2-year-old, but they were all dragged away.
The grandmother survived and was hospitalized, Upper Makefield Township police said in a statement. Her condition was not available.
The mother's body was recovered Sunday, Brewer said. The search for young people continues.
"Tragically, we are looking for two children from the same family," Brewer said.
Brewer said Sunday that search and rescue teams were searching for the two people along the steep banks of the creek, which can be difficult to navigate.
The fate of the children is unknown, but Brewer said he was "pretty sure" the first responders' mission had shifted from search and rescue to recovery.
"In my 44 years, I've never seen anything like it," he said.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency said Sunday more flooding was possible overnight.
Governor Josh Shapiro visited first responders in the affected region on Sunday and tweeted later"We will continue to do everything we can to support the good people of Bucks County."
elizabeth malin contributed.
