Five people were confirmed dead and two children remain missing after flash flooding occurred Saturday on a Bucks County, Pennsylvania road.
The missing children were from the same family visiting from Charleston, South Carolina, for a barbecue Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer said in a news conference on Sunday afternoon, according to 6 ABC. One child was a 9-month-old boy and the other was a 2-year-old girl.
Check out some of the damage left behind by a flooding event in Bucks County, PA.
At least 3 people are still missing including two small children. Always remember, never drive through flood waters. #PAwx pic.twitter.com/EshAy3k0lr
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) July 17, 2023
“We continue to look for the two children. We are not going to give up, regardless,” Brewer said. “The weather is a factor, but at this point, we are going to continue the operation and set things in motion for tomorrow as well.”
Torrential rains trapped the family in a flash flood, with the area receiving approximately six-and-a-half to seven inches of rain in 45 minutes, according to 6 ABC. (RELATED: First Death Reported From Historic Vermont Flooding As Man Drowns Inside Home)
The family’s father, 4-year-old son and grandmother escaped. However, the mother and her two missing children were swept away by volatile waters, 6 ABC reported.
“In my 44 years, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Brewer said. “When the water came up, it came up very swiftly. We do not think that anybody drove into it, that they were actively on that road when it happened.”
Five of seven people reported missing have been recovered, according to Brewer. The mother was among one of the dead bodies found.
Ten people were rescued in total. Eight were extracted from vehicles and two were pulled out of a creek. Three vehicles were swept away, but no one was inside of them when they were later located. One vehicle strayed 1.5 miles from its starting point at the creek.
Three roads remained closed Sunday morning. Officials cautioned people not to travel through flooded roadways.
“On behalf of more 13 million Pennsylvanians, I want Bucks County to know that we are here with you, we are praying with you and will continue to do everything in our power to lift you up,” Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said.