Body of 11-week-old boy found in submerged car in flooded West Virginia
The body of an infant was found in a submerged car Friday in southern West Virginia after floodwaters swept through the state, authorities said.
The flooding came amid a string of thunderstorms that inundated the South and dumped nearly 3 inches (8 centimeters) of rain in parts of West Virginia. Thunderstorms were possible Friday from the Florida Panhandle to the North Carolina coast, said National Weather Service forecaster Bob Oravec.
A woman had called 911 saying her car was stuck in high water in the Fayette County town of Pax and that she couldn't find the baby. Sheriff Mike Fridley said in a statement Friday afternoon that the vehicle was found submerged with the 11-week-old boy inside.
Investigators determined the woman had misjudged the water's depth and drove into the road until she realized it was too deep. She then attempted to remove the baby from the vehicle but the vehicle was swept away.
The area in which the vehicle was recovered had water as deep as 18 feet (5.5 meters). Visibility in the water was near zero due to muddy conditions, hampering authorities in their search, the statement said. The incident remains under investigation.
West Virginia, where towns located along narrow river valleys dot the landscape, is no stranger to devastating floods. In June 2016, 23 people were killed in flooding statewide.
"We cannot stress enough, the importance of not driving through flood waters," Fridley said. "Water depth is very hard to judge, as well as it is hard to judge the speed of moving water."
In Mingo County, along West Virginia's border with Kentucky and Virginia, a mudslide knocked over a few train cars loaded with coal, according to the county emergency services office. The mudslide also uprooted a few houses, and at least one resident had to be assisted from their home. No injuries were reported and State Police were investigating.
Officials called off school classes Friday in 10 counties in West Virginia. In Kanawha County, the state's largest, school bus routes were changed or closed because of flooded roads. Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency Thursday as the storms rolled through.
In Lincoln County, floodwaters forced dozens of students to hunker down Thursday night in an impromptu slumber party.
