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HILDALE — Seven people were killed Monday and six more were believed missing because of severe flash flooding Monday in Washington County, police said.
Heavy rain swept away a roadway, a van and another vehicle into Short Creek a short distance north of Hildale around 5 p.m., according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
The vehicles had stopped in Maxwell Canyon outside the initial flood area when a current overtook them from behind, said Washington County Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Crouse.
Three people survived the incident, Hildale Mayor Philip Barlow said. Search crews continued looking for those who were missing late Monday night.
The victims of the flash flood were all local residents, according to Crouse. Mothers of three families and a 4-year-old child were in the affected vehicles, but Crouse didn't immediately know whether they had survived.
Maxwell Canyon and nearby Water Canyon are known as popular destinations for county residents and canyoneers, and they are also an access point to the Canaan Mountain Wilderness area.
Radar forecasts predicted 1 inch to 2 inches of rapid rainfall near Hildale late Monday afternoon, said KSL-TV meteorologist Kevin Eubank. The storm is one of many small remnants from Hurricane Linda in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which dissipated late last week, Eubank said.
"It's got some intense cells," he said of the weather pattern.
Several members of the local community and a medical helicopter could be seen near where the incident occurred — an area mostly roped off by police.
Other details, including the names of those who were killed, were not immediately released Monday night.
Contributing: Stace Hall, Nicole Vowell
