20 dead, 40 missing in Arkansas flash flooding. Rising waters trapped hundreds of campers.
KARK-TV coverage
Watch view from helicopter over flooded area
Gov. Mike Beebe says the death toll from flash flooding along a pair of Arkansas rivers has risen to 20. Rescue teams are also searching for more than 40 people reported missing.
Heavy rains triggered flooding early Friday along the Caddo and Little Missouri rivers in the southwest portion of the state.
The worst damage was at the Albert Pike Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest, where hundreds of people were camping.
Floodwaters rose 20 feet overnight after more than a half-foot of rain fell on the region. Anxious families are gathered near a command post for word about their loved ones.
Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler says the bodies are being moved to funeral homes in Mena.
“We don’t know who was in there last night,” State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said. “This is a very wide area.”
Searchers worked along the Little Missouri River in Montgomery and Pike counties, while along the Caddo River at Glenwood police and fire crews monitored debris moving beneath the U.S. 70 bridge.
The National Guard dispatched helicopters to help in the rescue because much of the area was inaccessible by land. Tracy Farley of the U.S. Forest Service said the floods eroded some road beds and knocked trees across roads. Crews with bulldozers and chain saws were sent to the area.
At that time of night, many campers were likely still asleep when their tents began to fill with water, she said.
