At least 9 US soldiers dead after flash flooding at Texas base
Maj. Gen. John Uberti, Fort Hood deputy commander, center, Col. Todd Fox, left, and Fort Hood fire chief Coleman Smith, right, speak to the media during a news conference in Fort Hood, Texas, on Friday, June 3, 2016. Officials say Fort Hood commanders were in the process of closing roads on the sprawling Army post in Texas when a truck carrying 12 soldiers overturned in a fast-flowing flooded creek during a training exercise on Thursday. (Rodolfo Gonzalez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
WASHINGTON—Authorities recovered the bodies of four soldiers Friday, one day after their vehicle flipped over in a rain-swollen Texas creek during a training exercise.
The four confirmed deaths raised the toll from the accident to nine, Christopher Haug, chief of media relations at Fort Hood military base, told Agence France-Presse.
The troops were on a training mission at the base when their vehicle was caught in flash flooding.
“Due to the quick action of some other soldiers that were training, we were able to rescue three soldiers who are in stable condition,” Major General John Uberti told reporters earlier Friday.
“We’re providing the support and counseling for the families, friends and soldiers as we work through the notification and grieving process.”
Bodies of the other five victims were recovered Thursday.
Texas has seen several days of severe storms, including in the area around Fort Hood, where the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle — a military truck — the soldiers were traveling in overturned.
READ: Floods in Texas, Kansas leave 6 dead, 2 missing
An aerial search, canine units and swift water rescue boats were all deployed in response to the accident.
The Fort Hood Army base is located approximately 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Houston. Nearly 41,000 soldiers are stationed there.
