A wall of flood water swept away two vehicles carrying women and children in a Utah-Arizona border town Monday night, killing at least seven people and leaving six others missing, authorities said.
Three people survived as the flash flooding washed the vehicles carrying 16 people several hundred yards downstream about 5 p.m. MDT, said Hildale assistant fire chief Kevin Barlow.
As of Monday night, seven people were confirmed dead, with six others still missing, he said.
Search and rescue teams called off the search late into the evening due to treacherous conditions in the sister towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, he said.
The floods came after heavy rains fell in the canyons just north towns, sending waves of water barreling through the streets of a community of 7,700 people that is the home base of a polygamous sect run by Warren Jeffs. The towns are about 315 miles south of Salt Lake City.
The women and children were in two different cars, Barlow said: A full size van and an SUV.
The flooding also caused other, less serious problems. He said several blocks of home are without power and water due to the flooding.
"We're pretty used to flash flooding, but this is significantly more than what we're used to," Barlow said.
Search and rescue teams are scheduled to resume efforts to find the missing people at daybreak.
