Six people have died after a flash flood swept away a bridge in Franklin County, Indiana, on Friday 20 March 2020. The incident happened at about 5.00 am local time to a bridge over the Sanes Creek near Laurel, with two vehicles, described by the Franklin County Sheriff's Department as a van and a truck, being washed into the creek. All of the victims are reported to have come from Laurel, and have been identified as Shawn Roberts, 47, Burton Spurlock, 48, Felina Lewis, 35, and her three children, a boy of 13 and two girls aged 7 and 4, whose names have not been released.
Bridge over the Sanes Creek in Franklin County, Indiana, which was swept away by a flash flood on Friday 20 March 2020. Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division.
The indident is reported to have happened after several days of heavy rain in the area, with 65 mm of rain falling between Wednesday 18 and Friday 20 March, of which 20 mm fell between midnight and 5.00 am on Friday. The area where the incident happened is reported to have many small, steep-sided valleys where the drainage can quickly become overwhelmed by high rainfall, leading to flash flooding.
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