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, National Weather Service forecaster Bob Oravec said.
A woman called 911 saying her car was stuck in high water in the Fayette County town of Pax and 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 misjudged the water’s depth and drove into the road until she realized it was too deep. She then attempted to remove the baby 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 the search. The incident remains under investigation, the statement said.