TAYLORSVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Heavy rains led to the death of a man in Kentucky and the rescues of four other people Monday in two separate incidents, officials said.
The first call for help came as a family tried to drive over a flooded bridge in Taylorsville and was swept away by the fast-moving water.
Emergency crews were called to the water rescue early Monday and found a woman and two children alive, but they weren’t able to immediately locate the man, Spencer County Sheriff Scott Herndon told news outlets. His body was found hours later.
The woman was found in the water holding onto a tree and the children were found downstream on a bank, Herndon said. He says it’s a miracle they survived.
Meanwhile, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east, crews in Stanton were called to a home that was smashed by a mudslide amid heavy rains and were able to rescue a 90-year-old woman from the debris.
Emergency workers arrived at the two-story home to find the mudslide had knocked the first floor from its foundations and caused the second floor to collapse on top of it, Stanton Fire Department Assistant Chief Eddie Barnes said.
He said rescuers located the woman under layers that included a floor and a brick wall. Barnes said it took rescuers from several different agencies about four hours to extricate her. He did not release her name.
Officials say the hillside behind the home wasn’t stable and a nearby road remained closed.
Heavy rains moved through much of the state Sunday and early Monday and forecasters say storms could continue through much of the week.
